After a solid showing at ODAC championships, Roanoke Men’s Cross Country was able to cap off a strong season by placing 7th out of 24 teams in Division III NCAA South Regionals. The Women’s Team also impressed, placing 14th out of 26 teams. Both teams improved compared to the 2024 season as the men’s team finished one spot higher while the Women’s team improved by three places. The conditions were close to perfect on November 15th in Salem, Virginia when the race took place as the temperature was crisp and cool hovering around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The course itself was also very flat, yet the field’s competitiveness made it a somewhat difficult race for personal records to be set.
The primary constraint for the runners was the presence of relatively heavy winds. These provided an interesting challenge for the runners as they attempted to circumnavigate through the cross-country trail. Roanoke’s men’s team was led by freshman phenom Nathaniel Orban who earned all-region honors posting an 8k time of 25 minutes and 34 seconds. He placed 24th overall in the meet. Junior Ian Fellows also earned all-region honors with a 28th place finish. Roanoke’s men’s cross-country team totaled 216 points from their five scoring runners finishing just 5 points behind 6th place Rhodes College.
On the Women’s side, another freshman Maya Herndon had the best individual finish for a female Roanoke runner since 2016 placing 43rd with a time of 23:36 in the 6k. The team improved 100 spots compared to last year with a score of 381 finishing just a few points behind Bridgewater College. All seven of Roanoke’s Women’s Team runners finished in the top 120 overall. Of Roanoke’s 14 runners of all genders, three runners set their personal record with many more coming close. Roanoke Cross Country continues to improve each year providing a promising outlook for future years of cross country and the upcoming track seasons.
Ruben Krishna
Staff Reporter
