Johns Hopkins Cross Country Women Win National Championship
Nov 22, 2014; Terre Haute, IN, USA; General view of runners in the womens race in the 2014 NCAA cross country championships at Wabash Valley Family Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
So what do you do as defending national cross country champions when your #1 runner, who placed fourth in the USA last year, is injured most of the season and only barely makes it back to the national finals, finishing 7th for you and 157th in the race?
The answer: You find six other women to finish high enough in the race to capture your third consecutive NCAA Division 3 National Championship. And that is what the Johns Hopkins University women’s cross country team did today in Mason, Ohio.
Junior Sophia Meehan placed 6th to lead the Blue Jays to a total of 85 points, defeating MIT with 113, St. Lawrence with 138, and Washington University with 180.
JHU actually took four places in the top 30 and five in the top 37. The other place-winners for JHU were:
- Ashley Murphy (Sr) – 15th
- Tess Meehan (So) – 24th
- Francis Loeb (Sr) – 29th
- Bridget Gottlieb (Fr) – 37th
- Caroline Powers (Jr) – 98th
- Hannah Oneda (Jr) – 157th
The top four JHU places qualify them as All-Americans. An amazing stat is that the second JHU runner – Tess Meehan – improved to 24th place this year after finishing 137th just a year ago.
With two seniors and the hopes of seeing two-time All-American Oneda back to form in 2015, along with whatever new recruits will join, the Johns Hopkins cross country women are well-positioned for a legitimate shot at a fourth consecutive title.
Hannah Oneda is a Maryland native from Westminster where she was a state champion multiple times in XC and track for Winters Mill High School. She holds many course records on both high school and college courses in the region.
JHU women’s XC team at the beginning of the 2013 season in Salisbury, MD … Author’s photo