DOYLESTOWN, Pa. - The Messiah Women's Cross Country team registered an excellent start to their postseason today at the Middle Atlantic Conference Cross Country Championships, hosted by Delaware Valley University. The Falcons, picked to finish third in the conference's pre-championship coaches poll, rose to the expectations with a third-place team finish in the conference, their highest finish since claiming the MAC team title in 2019. The Falcons totaled 87 points en route to their third-place finish, finishing behind victor Lebanon Valley (52 points) and second-placed Misericordia (55 points) while also putting significant distance on Stevens (fourth place, 154 points). The Falcons improved remarkably from their first race on this course at the Aggie Invite earlier this year, dropping their top five total time from 2:03:33 (24:42 average) to 1:59:55 (23:59 average), an incredible feat on a difficult course amidst cool, windy conditions out on the course. The Falcons placed three runners in the top 20 and four in the top 30, allowing them to earn two individual First-Team All-MAC distinctions alongside one Second-Team and Third-Team honors each. The Falcons' excellent collective efforts bode well as they look to the culmination of their season at the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional championships to be held in two weeks.

Race Action
The Falcons were led by sophomore Delaney Turk, who registered her second-ever team finish in first after earning the same distinction during her first ever collegiate race last year. Turk ran a remarkably patient race and beat several very accomplished athletes to finish in fourth place overall, beginning her race a bit adrift of a pack containing the top six runners but gaining ground steadily throughout the race. Turk opened her race with a 6:09 before dropping time to split a 5:58 second mile, moving her into seventh place. Turk passed through the third mile, the course's most difficult, in a time of 6:18, allowing her to pass three athletes and move into fourth place as the race entered its final kilometer. Turk was briefly passed at the beginning of the home stretch but registered an exceptional close to regain her fourth-place finish and finish 0.7 seconds ahead of fifth place with a time of 23:02.1. Turk's time stands as an incredible 42 second improvement from her race on the same course earlier this year, with her fourth place First Team All-Finish MAC also standing as a remarkable improvement on her 24th place finish at last year's edition of these championships.

Ella Swayne finished as the second Falcon across the line, finishing just behind her teammate in sixth place overall. Swayne ran an exceptional race, especially after weathering a fall in the beginning stages of the race that required her to accelerate after climbing to her feet to catch and run with Turk. Swayne ran alongside her teammate for the entirety of the race, thereafter, running identical splits and following closely behind her teammate's finish with an excellent close of her own. Swayne finished with a time of 23:04.6, improving 26 seconds on her effort over the same course from earlier this season. Swayne's finish in sixth also stands as an excellent improvement on her 14th place finish last season, emphasizing her strong improvements this season.

Madison Kimmel was the third Falcon across the line, replicating the same finish from every other race thus far on the year. Kimmel ran a strong and consistent race by moving up in the field throughout the race, beginning with a 6:24 mile that led to a placement in 25th at the two-kilometer mark. Kimmel's second and third mile each enabled her to pass a competitor as she worked her way up in the field, putting her in position to pass four bodies during the final kilometer to finish in 19th place overall and earn Second-Team All-MAC honors. Kimmel finished with a time of 24:08.3, while her Second-Team finish accompanies two previous identical honors thanks to her 14th and 16th place finishes in the last two editions of these championships.

Kenzee Wiker finished as the fourth Falcon on the day and was the final Falcon to medal with Third-Team All-MAC honors behind her 28th place finish. Wiker ran an extremely consistent race, trailing closely behind Kimmel for the first two miles with identical splits of 6:26 for each segment. Wiker found herself in 28th place after two miles of the race and ran strongly to maintain the same placement at the three-mile mark and at the finish, a feat that enabled her to finish inside the top 30. Wiker's time of 24:42.8 stands as another strong improvement on her 25:19.1 clocking at the same course earlier this year, contributing a 37 second improvement to the Falcons' overall drop in time.

Elana Pineda ran a fantastic race to finish as the fifth Falcon in 33rd place overall, replicating her highest team finish this season that was also achieved at Rowan. Pineda ran a patient race that allowed her to move up throughout the field very strongly, improving from 47th at the mile to 44th at the two mile and a further 11 places by the finish. Pineda's time of 24:57.9 that enabled her to be the final contributor to the Falcons' team score stands as an incredible 117 second improvement on her race on the same course earlier this season. Pineda's finishing placement between the two races also improved from 11th to 5th, emphasizing her improvement throughout this season.

Emmie Battersby was the next Falcon to cross the line in sixth amongst her teammates, finishing in 37th place overall. Battersby began her race very quickly just several seconds adrift of Wiker before speeding up during the second mile to draw even with her freshman teammate. The hills in the third mile made themselves known as Battersby continued strongly, finding Pineda at some point during the final kilometer of the race before following her teammate to the finish. Battersby's time of 25:09.4 was 39 seconds faster than her race on the same course earlier this season, demonstrating consistent improvement for the Falcons across the board.

Samantha Mynio finished one place behind Battersby, running a very similar race to her freshman teammate as she trailed from a distance. Mynio's placement throughout the race was extremely consistent, as her 6:39 first mile placed her in 40th overall at the two-kilometer mark, a place upon which she would steadily improve by two bodies to the finish in 38th overall. Mynio's time of 25:14.9 stands as an extremely strong performance on a difficult course, especially as she raced in isolation from any teammates for much of the race.

Ava Shirk, Allison Keller, and Clara Benner were the next Falcons to finish on the day in eighth, ninth, and 10th amongst their teammates respectively. The trio finished very closely together, with Benner and Keller beginning their races together before Benner began to stretch away from her teammate during the middle two miles of the race. Shirk began her race cautiously but registered a furious close, passing 10 competitors and both of her teammates in the final stretch of the race to finish inside the top 50 in 46th overall with a time of 25:51.9. Keller followed her teammate's surge closely to finish in 51st overall with a time of 25:53.7, while Benner ran strongly to the end to finish right behind with a time of 25:56.2. 

Aubrey Yeager was the next Falcons across the line, running a very strong and consistent race to finish in 62nd overall with a time of 26:17.5. Yeager maintained the exact same place in the race at the two mile and three-mile marks as well as the finish, with her time also aligning very consistently with the same time she ran at the course earlier in the season. Meagan Kime ran a similarly consistent race to finish with a time of 26:42.8, rounding out the Falcons' efforts on the day.

Up Next
The Falcons look with anticipation to the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, their final guaranteed postseason race that will determine the team's fate at Nationals. The top seven individuals to finish who are not a part of a qualifying team will be invited to nationals, with team finishes at the Regional Championships also being used to select the teams that are invited to race at nationals together. After finishing in 11th, 15th, and 13th in the region across the last three years, the Falcons look poised to aim for a top 10 finish in the Mid-Atlantic behind a current Regional ranking of seventh as their season nears its culmination.