PRINCETON, N.J. – Brendan Johnson finished 46th overall to lead American University student-athletes to the line Friday at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Cross Country Regionals, hosted by Princeton.
Johnson, who finished 55th at the regionals as a freshman, covered Friday's 10-kilometer course in 31:58.9, pacing his other two teammates in the race.
Sam Doud was 52nd overall in 32:07.4, while
Alaeldin Tirba was 67th individually in 32:25.3. There were 174 finishers in the men's race.
AU head coach Matt Centrowitz was pleased with the performances.
"Things went well," he said. "This was a learning experience for our guys and will make them stronger next time. They all got some experience and got to see some of the top teams in our region battle it out."
Johnson and Tirba, who each were first team All-Patriot League honorees, "went out roaring" in an attempt to get an individual qualifying spot to nationals and finished in the top half of a regional field that was one of the toughest of the nine contested across the country on Friday.
Doud, who ran in the Eagles' fifth spot at the Patriot League Championships, steadily moved through up through the field to post a strong finish, Centrowitz said.
Georgetown (44 points) and Penn (60) earned the top two spots in the men's team standings and will pick up the automatic-qualifying positions for teams for the NCAA National Championships on Nov. 21 in Louisville, Ky.
Villanova junior Patrick Tiernan was the individual winner, finishing in 30:15.8 to post a convincing win over Georgetown sophomore Jonathan Green, who ran 30:41.6.
On the women's side, Penn State (60) and Georgetown (75) bested host Princeton (80) for the top two team positions, Temple senior Blanca Fernandez covered the 6K women's course in 20:52.0, placing just ahead of Princeton senior Emily de La Bruyere, who was second in 20:53.6.
The top four individuals not on a qualifying team will also earn invitations to nationals. At-large team bids will be awarded by the national committee after the regionals are completed.
