Terre Haute, Indiana – On a brisk Sunday morning at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course, the Oberlin College men's cross country team captured the North Coast Athletic Conference Championship. The women's team earned a fourth-place finish for the second-consecutive year.
 
In their first year guiding the Yeomen, Izzy Alexander and Eric Line add more to their resume than a conference crown, the duo was also named the NCAC Men's Cross Country Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
The Yeomen saw three harriers finish among the top ten, including Walter Moak who grabbed a bronze placement. In addition to Moak, Jonah Barber and Piers Shirk earn spots on the NCAC First-Team All-Conference list, while Charlie Endres and Danny Markey land on the Second-Team All-Conference list. Oberlin finished at the top of the pack with 41 points, followed by Wittenberg and DePauw with 51 and 83 points, respectively.
 
On the women's side of the race, Sage Serraino led the team with a time of 23:43.91 ito earn 17^th place and a spot on the Third-Team All-Conference list. This is Serraino's third-consecutive All-Conference finish, after earning Second-Team in the 2023 race, and Third-Team in 2022.
 
The Yeowomen scored 120 points and grab a fourth-place finish in the conference finale. DePauw dominated the competition with a first-place finish behind an impressive 26 point effort. Wittenberg (49) and Ohio Wesleyan (71) rounded out the top three teams.
 
Pacing the conference through the first half of the race, Moak finished third overall with a time of 25:35.17, less than eight seconds off the lead. Barber (25:45.94) and Shirk (25:53.83) followed close behind, coming in at fifth and seventh, respectively. Finishing inside the top 15, Endres clocked in at 26:25.58 for 12^th place and Markey crossed at 26:31.93 for 14^th.
 
Oberlin's runners continued to dominate the competition with four more runners finishing in the top 50. Liam Newman (27:20.17) Johnny Ragsdale (27:28.59) crossed the finish line just seconds apart, before Will Gordon (27:49.72) and Jerry Achtermann (28:04.04) followed to keep the Yeomen low scoring.
 
The youngest runners in the race followed suit, first-year Daniel Beyda finished at 28:54.88, then classmate Grant Hirsch 29:30.41. Capping off an incredible race for the Yeomen, Liam Hogan crossed at 30:58.96.
 
In the women's 6k race, Oberlin's top runner, Serraino, crossed the finish line at 23:43.91 in 17^th place. Following the fourth-year, Camila Ciembroniewicz (24:20.83) and Caleigh Lyons (24:28.20) finished one after the other to grab 25^th and 26^th place. Amber Borofsky crossed next for the Crimson and Gold, coming in at 24:39.40 in 31^st. Clocking in the best time of her career, Charlotte Purcell earned a 34^th place finish with a time of 25:18.4.
 
Ella Wozek (24:58.14) and Logan Lane (25:38.01) rounded out the top 50 finishers for the conference, with Solana Pearl following shortly after at 26:00.97. Just two seconds apart, Samantha Soto (26:48.76) and Marisa Tayal (26:50.41) finished next for Oberlin, and Serafina Yan (30:19.00) capped off the NCAC Championships race.
 
"Both teams ran the best they have all season, and they should all be so proud of how they executed their races." Head Coach Alexander continues on the individual efforts of each team, "our women's team ran a very tough and resilient race, and I am so happy for our men's team and especially our group of seniors for winning. They were determined and worked hard for this all season."

The Crimson and Gold take a short break before returning to competition, next competing on Friday, November 8 when they head to Wooster for the Wooster 5k Twilight. The race is set to begin at 7 p.m.
 
Fans can watch all the home matches live online. Home contests can be accessed on a TV through the official Oberlin College Sports Network app on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.