Cross Country | 10/31/2026 4:00:00 PM

Oberlin, Ohio – Hosting the first North Coast Athletic Conference Championship since 2017, the Oberlin College cross country team delivered 16 personal bests for an outstanding day of racing. 

"Both the women's and men's teams competed so hard today and should be very proud of their efforts. With the course change from the Rumble, it became a very fast course, and we had a ton of PRs, but more so, we had a ton of PR efforts, and that's even more important," Head Coach Izzy Alexander adds. "In a championship race, it's all about competing and racing hard, and it was so exciting to see them do that on our home course, at the conference championships, and with so many friends, family, and track teammates cheering and supporting."

The women's team kicked off the day placing sixth overall with 137 points, while the men's team recorded a fifth-place finish. John Carroll won both team titles, marking the first time an institution won both team titles since former NCAC team Allegheny won both team championships in 2016. 

Char Purcell paced the Crimson and Gold, finishing just outside of All-Conference recognition, placing 22nd overall while clocking in a 26-second personal-best time of 22:37.9. Samantha Soto finished in 30th, recording PR of 22:54.2, while Lieke Everts finished just after Soto with a 20-second personal record of 22:54.7. Mirabel Adams followed in 35th, crossing the line with an impressive 53-second personal best of 23:04.1, with Chelsea Larsen rounding out the top five for Oberlin with a 40th-place finish and remarkable 60-second PR of 23:15.8. 

Serving as the Crimson and Gold's two displacers, Solana Pearl crossed the line in 58th, posting a personal best of 24:06.0, with Madeleine Klevay in 63rd in a time of 24:27.6 in her collegiate debut. Elis Leppik trailed just behind in 65th, registering a personal record time of 24:37.8, with Zoe Engel notching a 57-second personal best of 26:21.4 to place 79th. June Essinger and Sofia Picucci rounded out the day for Oberlin, with Essinger producing a 57-second PR of 26:36.9 and Picucci crossing the line in 27:38.3.  

Carrying the momentum from the women's race, Piers Shirk delivered his best performance at an NCAC cross country championship meet with a sixth-place overall finish to earn All-NCAC First-Team recognition. Notching an 8k personal best of 25:20.7, Shirk earned his second career cross country All-Conference First-Team award. Cooper Tanski earned his second NCAC cross country postseason accolade, placing 13th with a 27-second personal best of 25:42.7 to earn Second-Team laurels. Finishing as Oberlin's top rookie, Kaed Egan ran a 50-second personal best of 26:29.9, placing 29th in the field.

Michael Hutnick and Toby Wells-Spackman recorded back-to-back finishes to round out Oberlin's top five, placing 65th and 66th with times of 27:49.5 and 27:50.8, respectively. Daniel Beyda trailed just behind in 68th, notching a time of 28:04.8, with Ben Burleson crossing the line with a personal best of 28:16.7 to place 73rd. Rounding out the Oberlin squad, Samuel Mortensen posted a time of 29:39.3, with Luke Wozek earning a 30-second personal best of 31:30.0. 

"It was a great event with amazing energy, and there are so many departments and organizations here who played a role in making the meet a great experience for the athletes and spectators. I can't thank them enough for their work," Alexander continues.  

The Crimson and Gold return to action on Friday, November 6, when they travel to compete in the Wooster Twilight 5k Challenge. The first race is scheduled under the lights at 7 p.m. 

Keep up with the Crimson and Gold on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and watch every home game on the Oberlin Sports Network online or on Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV.