SALEM, Va. – The No. 19 Washington and Lee men's cross country team made history on Saturday morning, winning the NCAA South Regional Championship at Green Hill Park — the program's second regional title all-time and first since 1995.
The Generals scored 39 points behind a dominant front pack that placed five runners inside the top 15 and six in the top 35 to tie the program's all-region record set last season.
W&L's top five posted a 38-second spread which helped them secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships next weekend.
Junior Robert Cooper led the way with a third-place finish (24:33.3) — the highest individual regional placement by a General since Mac Strehler in 2016. Senior Keaton Rush (4th, 24:34.8) and sophomore Sam Daunt (5th, 24:35.6) completed a top-five sweep that put W&L in commanding position midway through the race. Sophomore William Dunaway (12th, 24:52.7) and junior Thomas Franklin (15th, 25:11.8) closed the scoring five to secure the title.
Junior Jackson Kodenski (21st, 25:29.0) and sophomore Raja Mehendale (49th, 26:31.2) rounded out the Generals' lineup, with six of the seven finishing among the region's top 35 to earn USTFCCCA All-Region honors.
Find the meet's full results, HERE.
Notes
- Second NCAA South Regional title in program history (1995, 2025).
- First time in program history with five top-15 finishers at regionals.
- Six All-Region honorees tie the team's single-meet record,
- Cooper's third-place finish is W&L's highest at regionals since Mac Strehler placed third in 2016.
- Lynchburg's Alex Jordan won the individual title in 24:15.20 and Oglethorpe's Ashton Deriso finished runner-up in 24:32.20.
Up Next: The Generals advance to the NCAA Division III National Championships on Saturday, November 22, at the Miliken Research Center in Spartanburg, S.C. The men's race is scheduled for 10 a.m.
Team Results (Top 5)
- Washington and Lee – 39
- Lynchburg – 57
- Pfeiffer – 79
- Emory – 88
- Berry – 196
W&L Scoring Seven
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
