Fresh off of their Empire 8 Championship wins Oct. 31, the men’s and women’s cross-country teams placed fourth out of 41 teams and seventh out of 37 teams, respectively, in the NCAA Atlantic Region Championship on Nov. 14 in Mt. Morris, New York.

Senior Sawyer Hitchcock led the men’s team with a seventh-place finish, and running a time of 25:30. For the second time in as many years, Hitchcock has qualified individually for the NCAA Championship.

Junior Sean Phillips finished in 22nd place with a time of 26:00.9. Both Hitchcock and Phillips earned all-region honors for placing in the top 35.

Following Hitchcock and Phillips was junior Jesse Capellaro in 47th place, senior Stephen Gomez in 56th place and sophomore Tim Chappell in 62nd place.

In the women’s race, sophomore Taryn Cordani placed second with a time of 21:56.7, just 8 seconds behind the top finisher, qualifying her for the NCAA Championship for the first time in her career. Sophomore Denise Ibarra placed 14th for the Bombers with a time of 22:29.5. Cordani and Ibarra also both earned all-region honors.

Senior Michaela Cioffredi placed 58th, senior Anna Fay placed 63rd and freshman Emilie Mertz finished 65th for the South Hill squad.

The top two teams from each region earn automatic bids to the NCAA Championship. However, it is still possible for both teams to qualify if they are chosen as one of 13 teams to earn an at-large bid to the championship. Last season, the women’s team was selected for an at-large bid and Hitchcock qualified individually. The national meet will take place at 12:30 p.m. Nov. 21 in Winneconne, Wisconsin.