Five Tiger Runners Earn All-Great Lakes Region Cross Country Honors
SPRINGFIELD, OH – Five Wittenberg cross country runners recorded finishes in the top 35 at the annual NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Championships, which earned each of them spots on the 2024 All-Region teams.
For the Wittenberg men, senior Conor Kolka (Dexter, MI/Dexter) paced the squad with a sixth-place finish in a time of 24:57.54. That finish earned Kolka a spot in his second straight NCAA Division III National Championship meet, which will take place Saturday, Nov. 23, in Terre Haute, Ind. In 2023, Kolka finished 145th at the championship meet after becoming just the fourth runner in program history to qualify for the national meet. Kolka's performance makes him Wittenberg's first-ever four-time All-Great Lakes Region performer.
Freshman Brandon Anderson (Dexter, MI/Dexter) continued his tremendous inaugural collegiate season at the regional meet, placing 34th in the field of more than 200 runners with a time of 25:49.54.
At the recent North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championships, Kolka paced the Tigers, placing fourth with a time of 25:37.87, making him the only four-time first-team All-NCAC honoree this season. Anderson excelled in his first NCAC championship meet as he was named the 2024 NCAC Newcomer of the Year after securing an eighth-place finish with a time of 26:04.24.
On the women's side, senior Megan Keys (Dublin, OH/Jerome) led the Tigers at the regional meet, finishing 14th with a time of 22:24.49. Teammate Maddi Clark (Mentor, OH/Mentor) also earned a top-20 finish, placing 17th with a time 22:35.20. Emma Hawk (Marion, OH/River Valley) was close behind with a 27th-place finish with a time of 22:48.66. Keys, Clark, and Hawk all earned All-Great Lakes Region honors for their outstanding performances.
Keys placed a team-best fourth overall at the NCAC Championships with a time of 22:28.03, making her a three-time All-NCAC honoree. Clark made her All-NCAC debut with a fifth-place finish in a time of 22:32.04, and Hawk rounded out Wittenberg's top 10 finishers, placing seventh with a mark of 22:55.55 to earn first-team All-NCAC honors.
Both teams posted the best finishes at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Championships in program history. The Tiger women finished fourth as a team, scoring a total of 165 points, while the Tiger men also earned a top 10 finish, placing seventh with 243 team points. Each team placed second at the 2024 NCAC Championships.
