AMHERST, Mass. – The Amherst College Women's and Men's Cross Country team were both selected to compete in the 2025 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. The At-large selections were announced on Sunday, and the Mammoths will be among the field of 32 teams competing for the national championships on Saturday, November 22 at the Roger Milliken Cross Country Course in Spartanburg, S.C.
Both teams earned an at-large bid in this year's national championship. The Amherst women finished fourth, while the men finished fifth in the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships on Saturday. The winning team from each of the 10 regional championships earned an automatic berth to the national championships, and an additional 22 teams from both genders were selected for at-large bids.
"The women's team is very young," said head cross country coach
Hannah Chappell-Dick. "We graduated half of our nationals squad from 2024. They left big shoes to fill, but the underclassmen have been up to the task."
The women's team will return to the national stage for the fifth straight season. This year's team features youth that continues to develop throughout the season. Amherst placed in the top four through the first two meets of the season, and found themselves finishing fifth in the NESCAC Championships. Sophomore Flora Biro has stepped up to lead the team, garnering All-NESCAC Team recognition as she finished 11th individually at the NESCAC Championships. Sophomores Biro and Ava Thomas, first-year Katie Greenwald, and junior Nikki Chopra earned All-Region honors to lead the Mammoths to a fourth place finish at the Mideast Regional Championships on Saturday.
"This team ran with poise and heart this weekend to qualify for nationals and I am incredibly proud of them for weathering the storm with maturity and joy," said Chappell-Dick. "Our best days are ahead - and this team will be a force for years to come. We hope to finish in the top-20 and gain valuable experience at a national level."
"The men's goal going into [Saturday's] race was to conserve as much energy as possible while still qualifying for nationals," said Chappell-Dick. "A couple guys have been battling some little aches and pains, so we rested our number two, Stan Craig, to make sure we are firing on all cylinders next week."
The men's team returns to the national stage for the third consecutive year. The Mammoths placed in the top three through the first three meets of the season, and garnered a top-three finish in the NESCAC Championships. Juniors Craig and Harrison Dow were tabbed to the All-NESCAC First Team, and first-year Carter Bengtson named NESCAC Rookie of the Year. In the Mideast Regional Championships on Saturday, juniors Dow and Parker Boyle, first-year Bengtson, and seniors Thomas Stephens and Henry Dennen were tabbed with All-Region Honors in the Mammoths fifth place finish.
"We're coming in as the underdogs, but this team is fired up and ready to compete for a top-10 finish next week," said Chappell-Dick.
Saturday's men's race begins at 10 a.m. with the women's race to follow at 11 a.m. The meet will air live on NCAA.com.
