North Carolina junior Stephen Mulherin earned the opportunity to run at the NCAA Cross Country Championship meet after his strong performance Friday at the Southeast Regional in Earlysville, Virginia.
Mulherin posted a time of 29:33.9 in the 10-kilometer race to lead the men’s team with an overall ninth place finish.
“He was fantastic and extremely patient,” said Coach Mark VanAlstyne about Mulherin’s performance. “I’m really proud of him and it was the best race of his career when it counted the most.”
Sophomore Hannah Christen finished in sixth place in the 6-kilometer race to lead the women with a time of 20:45.0.
“At the ACC meet I was really nervous and I felt panicked and frantic,” Christen said. “Going into this race I was telling myself to stay calm and I trusted my coach and the plan that he gave me. It ended up working out really well for me.”
Christen’s performance helped the women’s team finish third, while the men finished in seventh.
The top two teams from each regional meet earn an automatic bid to Nationals, while teams who did not place that high have a chance to receive an at-large bid. But after compiling the final results it was determined that both teams would come up just short of earning a spot.
“I am proud of how the two teams ran and it was evident to me that they saved their best race for when it counted,” VanAlstyne said. “Unfortunately our body work and regular season wasn’t strong enough for an at-large bid and we are crushed.”
