BETHLEHEM, PA – The Monmouth University Men's and Women's Cross Country Teams each finished in 13^th place at the 2023 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals on Friday afternoon at Lehigh University's Paul Short XC Course.

The Hawks kicked off the day with the women's 6k race where freshman Emily Simko paced Monmouth for the fifth straight meet and finished 40^th overall with a time of 20:59.2. Ashley Navarro (45^th, 21:04.3) and Allie Pierontoni (60^th, 21:18.3) each recorded top-60 finishes to help the Blue and White finish in the top half of the 27 competing schools with 356 total points.

Declan McDonnell – who led the Monmouth men's squad in all six races this season – paced the Hawks with time of 29:59.9. The sub-30 mark is a new Monmouth record at Lehigh's 10k course, previously besting Brian Hoffman's 32:00.58 in 2001. Joining McDonnell inside the top-60 were Seb Reed (57^th, 31:07.5) and Tennessee Tremain (59^th, 31:11.7). The Hawks finished just inside the top half of the 26 competing schools with 360 total points.

TOP FINISHERS
Men's Top Seven Finishers – 360 points, 13^th out of 26
17. Declan McDonnell (29:59.9)
57. Seb Reed (31:07.5)
59. Tennessee Tremain (31:11.7)
107. Cameron Janovic (32:05.5)
126. Aidan Gilmore (32:35.2)
136. Niko Ferrante (32:51.9)
157. Luke Riley (33:32.4)

Women's Top Seven Finishers – 356 points, 13^th out of 27
40. Emily Simko (20:59.2)
45. Ashley Navarro (21:04.3)
60. Allie Pierontoni (21:18.3)
106. Marisa Kilgarriff (21:57.5)
111. Ellie Keefer (21:59.9)
126. Brianna Jucewicz (22:12.3)
134. Sydney Todd (22:26.3)
 
QUOTES
"I was really impressed with the way our student-athletes competed today at the NCAA Regional meet. You can always count on this meet being ultra-competitive, and it was great seeing the Hawks mix it up.
 
Both teams placed 13^th, which, historically, is pretty good for our program. Declan's performance in the men's race was outstanding. To run 29:59 for 10k on grass and place 17th was exceptional. I also want to acknowledge the performances of our seniors who competed in their last cross-country race. Ashley, Sydney, and Cameron have made significant contributions to our program and they will be missed on the XC course. 
 
But overall, I was happy with how we closed out the season. Now we turn the page to the indoor track and field season! Fly Hawks!" - Director of Track and Field/Cross Country and Head Coach Mike Nelson

UP NEXT
The Hawks open the Indoor Track and Field Season at the Rutgers Holiday Classic in New York City on Friday, Dec. 1.