Contact: Emily Zadny, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

Results

WINNECONNE, Wis. (Nov. 17, 2018) – The North Central College women's cross country team celebrated sophomore Madelyn Scopp's debut performance at the 2018 NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country National Championship on Saturday, capping off an incredible 2018 campaign on the highest note.

Scopp got out of the gates strong at the front of the pack and continued to work her way up throughout the 6,000-meter race, holding steady despite the aggressive pace set at the start. She continued to run a solid, composed race, ultimately crossing the finish line 107th overall with a time of 22:36.7.

"It was a really great experience to get to race against some of the greatest runners in the country," said Scopp. "It got out really fast, but I think building throughout really helped and I was able to pick people off here and there. I'm definitely looking forward to indoor and outdoor season and getting back to the team racing."

Head coach Mahesh Narayanan was beaming ear to ear following the race, having seen an incredible transformation in Scopp throughout the season and now seeing her race in her first national championship.

"Mady has become more confident as an athlete and in various situations," said Narayanan. She has gone through a complete athletic transformation and you're seeing a totally different athlete today than who came in on Aug. 14. Now we have to work to get the rest of the team here next year."

Washington University (Mo.) won the 2018 team championship with 98 points, highlighted with an individual champion performance from junior Paige Lawler (20:55.0) and the Bears edged out the 2017 champions Johns Hopkins University by one point. Massachusetts Institute of Technology placed third with a distant 247 points.