Press Release written by Mitchell Coll

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - - The Wilmington University men's and women's cross country teams battled it out in the 2022 NCAA Division II East Region Championship hosted by Adelphi University at Bethpage Polo at the Park.

The women's cross country team competed in a dense field of 20 teams and placed 13th overall with a total of 324 points accumulated. The course at Bethpage Polo at the Park was a kilometer further (6K course) than the standard 5-kilometer courses this season. Freshman Taylor Burchfield led the way for the Wildcats in the East Regional. Burchfield ran a 23:40.40, a 3:57 per kilometer average to place her in 34th place in the race, earning the team 30 points.

Sophomore Yailynn Ramirez and senior Alexa Crowell crossed the finish line within 22 seconds of one another. Ramirez finished 63^rd overall with a time of 24:36.80, earning the Wildcats 56 points. Crowell placed 70^th overall with a time of 24:58.10, earning the team 63 pts. Tiffany and Sammy Banning were next to complete the 6K course, as Tiffany finished in 25:23.50 for 82^nd place for 74 points. Sammy earned 116th place with a time of 27:27.70 for a total of 101 points. Also finishing in the 27th minute was freshman Camila Cornejo with a time of 27:35.50, good for 119th place.

The overall winner of the 6K course was Ashley Corcoran, a senior from Southern New Hampshire University, with a time of 21:55.40. Corcoran helped her team win the 2022 NCAA Division II East Region Championships.

The men's cross country team took on a 10-kilometer course in a field of 146 runners and 21 overall teams in the East Region race. The first-place finisher of Franklin Pierce University, Wondu Summa, finished the course at 31:27.70.

The men's side turned in a performance of 14th overall. Sophomore Trent Taylor again turned in a strong showing, finishing 21st overall with a time of 32:27.90, a 5:13 per mile pace, earning the team 20 points. Trent Taylor became the 10th Wildcat since joining the NCAA ranks in 2004 to earn All-Regional honors. The top 25 point-getters earn All-Region honors.

The Wildcats earned another All-Region performer as well as freshman Vaughn Lackman was right behind Taylor and finished in 26th place with a time of 32:55.00. The 12^th place finisher from Caldwell did not earn team points, moving Lackman up into the 25^th spot and earning All-Region.

Sophomore Dan Wyshinski held a 5:36 pace, with an end time of 34:46.70 to finish 71^st overall for 66 points. Sophomore Hayward Boutte Jr. turned in a time of 37:35.00, and his average of 6:03 per mile placed him in 127th place for 121 points. Freshman Nicholas Licup rounded out the event with a 6:32 per mile pace, an 134th place finish with a time of 40:33.90 for 128 points.

Southern Connecticut State won the men's event with a team score of 53 points followed by Franklin Pierce (65 points) and Roberts Wesleyan (100 points). American International finished a close fourth place with 101 points.