BETHLEHEM, Pa. – To finish the season, junior Noah Smith and freshman Anna Villavicencio led American University's men's and women's cross country teams at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, hosted by Lehigh University on Friday.

The men finished 10th, while the women placed 24th at this year's regional meet.

In the men's 10K, the Eagles had a strong team performance, with all seven runners recording personal bests to help secure the program's highest regional finish in 14 years.

Smith crossed the line first for the Eagles, placing 35th overall in a time of 30:52.3. Freshman Marcus Valenzuela finished second for the team in his first-ever 10K, clocking a 31:00.2 to place 42nd overall. Junior Ty Parker worked his way back into the mix, finishing third for the Eagles in 31:14.6 and placing 63rd. Rounding out the top six were sophomore Emmett Engelhardt (31:30.8; 78th), junior Jaden Frederick (31:31.0; 79th) and freshman Jackson Farmer (31:31.6; 80th). The three finished in a tight pack, all within one second of each other. Junior Barak Goldstein made his 10K debut and finished the day in 31:59.9, placing 100th.

"I'm really proud of our team today," said Smith. "It was wet and cold out on the course, and I think we took advantage of those conditions when other teams couldn't. I had a good performance on a tough 10K course, helping our team out in the rankings for the best we've done since 2012. I got to the line knowing I helped lead a team that accomplished something great today."

Villavicencio capped her freshman season with a major personal best, finishing first for the Eagles in the women's 6K with a time of 21:41.3. Sophomore Shealyn Brochu crossed the line second for American in 22:07.6, recording a season best. Senior Estella Miller finished third for the Eagles with a major personal best of 22:23.4, capping off a successful career at American. Junior Zoe Rector placed fourth for the Eagles in a personal-best time of 22:29.2. Rounding out the top five was freshman Charli McCue, who finished with a personal-best time of 22:47.2. Freshman Natasha Cohen (23:22.1) and sophomore Charlotte Orr (23:27.6) closed out a solid day for the Eagles in the sixth and seventh spots, respectively.

"It was a really fun race," said Villavicencio. "The energy was great with so many high-level teams there that we got to compete against. There were quite a few PRs on the women's side, which is a good way to cap off the season."

Coaches' Corner

"The men had a very good day today at regionals," said head coach Sean Graham. "Top to bottom, one to seven, every one of them PR'd. More impressively, the way in which they rebounded from a disappointing performance at the Patriot League Championship to a top-10 finish today was tremendous. Noah once again led the guys, learning he can run with some of the best. Marcus finishing in the top 45 is phenomenal, especially in his debut 10K. Ty Parker had a great turnaround from a challenging race last meet to a big PR today. It was very impressive. Emmett, Jaden and Jackson finishing together, with Barak rounding out the top seven with a massive PR — a really successful day for us. This young team is learning they can compete with some of the better teams in the region, and they showed a little bit of that today. Very proud of their performance."

"I couldn't be happier to end my first season with the Eagles!" said assistant coach Jordyn Pugh. "I know that we have so much more that we can do, but the results today showed growth in just three short months, and even more importantly, show how bright the future is. Shoutout to senior Estella Miller ending her career with such a big PR! We are so grateful for how she has led the team this season." 

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Men's 10k Results, 10th
35. Noah Smith, 30:52.3
42. Marcus Valenzuela, 31:00.2
63. Ty Parker, 31:14.6
78. Emmett Engelhardt, 31:30.8
79. Jaden Frederick, 31:31.0
80. Jackson Farmer, 31:31.6
100. Barak Goldstein, 31:59.9
 
Women's 6k Results, 24th
98. Anna Villavicencio, 21:41.3
131. Shealyn Brochu, 22:07.6
147. Estella Miller, 22:23.4
153. Zoe Rector, 22:29.2
166. Charli McCue, 22:47.2
187. Natasha Cohen, 23:22.1
188. Charlotte Orr, 23:27.6