Final Results (PDF)

All-Conference Team (PDF)


PEPPER PIKE, Ohio – With three programs nationally ranked, Hillsdale emerged as the winner of Saturday's exciting Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women's Cross Country Championship 6K race at the Laurel School-Butler Campus.
 
Similar to the men's trend, the 10th-ranked Chargers are conference champions for the second time in three years. Walsh was the women's 2018 champion as both programs competed at the NCAA Championships out in Pittsburgh.
 
On Saturday, the margin for error was razor thin as Hillsdale held off the Cavaliers by three points in the final team scoring.
 
Hillsdale placed four with all-conference awards while 13th-ranked Walsh had five as the top 14 placewinners were recognized with either first or second team honors.
 
Leading the way for the Chargers was senior Arena Lewis and junior Maryssa Depies as they crossed the line in second and third separated by less than a second. The Chargers also were boosted by sophomore Sophia Maeda in the top 10 while Gwynne Riley was 12th.
 
Walsh was guided by a top-five performance by Alexa Leppelmeier while Claire Robertson and Andra Lehotay were each top-10 finishers. Great Midwest Freshman of the Year also went to the Cavaliers as Bridget Hahn was the top finishing first-year student-athlete among all individuals.
 
The field chased Malone's redshirt sophomore Mackenna Curtis-Collins, who kicked it into high gear turning into the straightaway and sprinted down the chute with a big smile. Curtis-Collins toured the course in 20:47.70, securing Great Midwest Runner of the Year hardware for her efforts.
 
She helped the No. 23 ranked Pioneers place fourth in the field as conference 5K record holder Hannah Thompson was fourth overall.
 
Cedarville was third in the team race as the Yellow Jackets had Alayna Ackley and Rachel Sweeney up at the awards presentation. Findlay was fifth as last year's freshman of the year Gabrielle Lawrence paced the Oilers. Kentucky Wesleyan also had an all-conference selection as sophomore Breanna Alderton was eighth.
 
Trevecca Nazarene, Tiffin, Ohio Dominican and Ursuline, the host for this year's conference championship meet, spelled out the top 10 teams.
 
Guiding the Chargers to victory was Great Midwest Coach of the Year Andrew Towne of Hillsdale. He was voted by the league's coaches for the award.
 
Teams will now turn their focus to the Midwest Regionals in Evansville, Ind., while attempting to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, Calif.