STEVENSON, Md. – The Messiah University Women's Cross Country team battled hard at the 2026 Middle Atlantic Conference Championship on Saturday morning, hosted by Stevenson University. The Falcons finished second as a team with 60 points, finishing only behind Misericordia who finished with 54 points, led by the first-place individual. Delaney Turk led the Falcons with a third-place finish, crossing the line in a personal best time of 21:55.85. Eight Falcons finished with All-Conference honors.

The Falcons return to action on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 11:00 a.m. at Lock Haven University for the NCAA Regional Championship.

Race Action
Delaney Turk found herself in an early lead pack of five runners and never looked back. The top five finishers traded places a bit throughout the race, with the eventual champion taking a convincing lead through the 1.6k check and continuing to extend her lead. Turk settled into a rhythm, averaging 5:51.1 per mile as she crossed the line in a new personal best time of 21:55.85 to finish third.

Senior Madison Kimmel continued a strong senior season for the Falcons, turning in a personal best time of 22:51.81 to finish eighth. Kimmel found herself in the second pack of runners for much of the race as she pushed towards the finish with a small separation between her and the next runner.

The third Falcon to cross the line was Elana Pineda, finishing 13^th with a time of 23:34.89 after averaging 6:19.3 per mile. Close behind was Meagan Kime, running with Pineda for most of the race before Pineda inched ahead near the end. Kime finished 16^th with a new personal best time of 23:42.24.

The final scoring Falcon was Lily Mellinger, crossing in a time of 23:50.54 to finish in 22^nd overall. Right behind Mellinger was Kenzee Wiker, finishing in a time of 23:56.69.

The duo of Ava Shirk and Kendall Chandler stayed close throughout the race with Shirk finishing in 28^th with a time of 24:12.72 while Chandler crossed in a time of 24:17.52 to earn 30^th.

Lila Kretzing finished just outside All-Conference honors with a time of 24:40.69 with the duo of Katie Brass and Gracelyn Lacoss close behind, finishing in 24:55.49 and 24:57.09 respectively. The final Falcon in the field, Samantha Mynio, crossed the line in a time of 25:01.39, placing each Falcon contestant within the top 50 finishers.

All-Conference Honors
The Falcons totaled eight All-Conference honors, determined by finishing place. Delaney Turk and Madison Kimmel were each named First Team All-Conference. Elana Pineda and Meagan Kime each earned Second Team All-Conference honors for their performances. Lily Mellinger, Kenzee Wiker, Ava Shirk, and Kendall Chandler all earned Third Team All-Conference honors.

Up Next
The Falcons return to action on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 11:00 a.m. at Lock Haven University for the NCAA Regional Championship.