SAINT LEO, Fla. – Cedarville’s program was the first Great Midwest Athletic Conference team in league history to compete in the NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country Championships on Saturday.
 
The Yellow Jackets proved they belong and then some in the Sunshine State heat, finishing 11th out of 32 teams in the field.
 
Cedarville began the postseason with its fifth consecutive G-MAC title and went on to finish runner-up at the NCAA DII Midwest Regional to initially qualify for the national meet.
 
While barely missing out on a top-10 team finish on the 6K course, Cedarville’s junior Carsyn Koch and 2016 senior/G-MAC Runner of the Year Olivia Esbenshade placed back-to-back at 61st and 62nd overall.
 
Koch and Esbenshade finished just one second apart from each other at 21:52.10 and 21:54.50, respectively.
 
The Yellow Jackets’ pack style was successful with sophomore Kayla Casaletto (22:21.30), senior Hailey Blackwell (22:24.50) and junior Alaina Spears (22:25.90), all crossing the finish line less than four seconds apart.
 
Freshman Olivia Kundo (23:01.40) and junior Christy Jesson (23:02.00) finished less than a second off each other’s time to round out the six-runner scoring total.
 
The Yellow Jackets finished third of five schools in the Midwest Region, which included national team champion Grand Valley State.
 
Incoming 2017-18 G-MAC member institution Hillsdale was able to finish 17th overall. Junior Hannah McIntyre earned NCAA DII All-American status with a 14th-place finish to lead the Chargers. Senior Molly Oren also earned All-American honors by finishing 26th overall.
 
The Hillsdale men also competed in the NCAA DII Cross Country Championships and would place 14th in the 32-team field. Junior Anthony Wondaal booked his status as an NCAA All-American with a 21st-place finish.