SPARTANBURG, S. C. – For the second consecutive season, the Presidents raced two athletes at the NCAA National Championships, both finishing within the top 100 of their respective fields.
Claire Anderson (Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown) made history at the NCAA National Meet for the second straight year, finishing the best a W&J cross country runner has ever placed at Nationals. The senior sensation raced her way to a third-place finish with a time of 21:13.4. Anderson finished as the top Presidents' Athletic Conference runner, only being bested by a runner from Middlebury and RPI.
"Claire ran phenomenal today. She got out with the lead girls and never looked back. I've always said she was one of the best runners in the country and today she left no doubt about it," replied Head Coach
Andy Upton. "She looked strong from start to finish and as the race got longer she got stronger and more confident."
Anderson's finish at Nationals this season bested the previous top finish in cross country program history which was held by Kristen Galligan from the 2012 season (12
th place, 21:27.40). Anderson finished as an All-American for the second consecutive season, the first ever to do so in program history.
"I'm super proud and happy for Claire. She's such a great person and she deserved to hold that trophy high today," said Upton. "So glad to see her put everything together in what was her final cross country race of her career."
Dominic Flitcraft (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) raced to his best finish at the NCAA National meet, finishing in 90
th place. The junior finished with a time of 25:14.3, finishing as the PAC's lone runner on the men's side.
"Dom improved a lot from last year and broke into the top 100 which was our goal from the start," stated Upton. "He continues to get better with every race he runs and I'm super excited we have him coming back for another year. He's one of the most motivated runners I've ever been around, and he will definitely take the experience from today's race and use it to be even better next year."
