Haddonfield graduate Isabella Miller, a senior at Haverford, earned the biggest victory of her college XC career Saturday when she won the NCAA Division 3 Metro Region Championship.
Miller returned to South Jersey and ran a 6,000-meter all-course personal-best 21:24 at DREAM Park in Logan Township to punch her ticket to the NCAA Division 3 Championships and lead Haverford to the first NCAA regional team title in program history.
Miller became Haverford’s first regional champion in 25 years, since Meredith Unger won the 1996 Mideast Regional title at Carlisle (Pa.) High School, edging The College of New Jersey’s Amy O’Donnell from Mahwah High School. Unger went on to place 7th at NCAAs, earning All-America honors.
Miller finished about 20 meters ahead of teammate Angelina Petrichenko to win the individual title. Haverford outscored 2nd-place Swarthmore 88-102 for the team championship.
The NCAA Division 3 Championships are scheduled for Saturday at Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky.
Stockton placed 6th, led by junior Jessie Klenk, who placed 19th out of 169 runners in 23:32. Moorestown’s Jamie Wun, a senior, placed 50th in 24:18, and Highland’s Abby Webb, a freshman, was 67th in 24:50.
Rowan was led by freshman Anna Sasse of Williamstown, who placed 24th in 23:23 and was the 6th freshman overall, and senior Lyndsay Boyd from Pitman, who ran 23:50 and placed 32nd. Sophomore Sha’Lynn Clarke of Glassboro [51st in 24:19], junior Carley Tool of Seneca [56th in 24:24] and Madison Edwards of Cinnaminson [63rd in 24:41] also scored for Rowan, which placed 10th.
Freshman Jaden Sweely from Cherokee placed 65th and helped Widener place 3rd overall, its best finish ever in a regional meet.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 