GORHAM, Me. – Lesley University senior Leah Miller (Thomaston, Conn.) was the first Lynx runner to cross the finish line today at the NCAA Regionals at the University of Southern Maine, finishing 30th overall in a field of 371 runners. Miller's place earned her All-New England accolades, the first runner in Lesley program history to receive the honor.
The senior's time of 22:09.57 crushed the previous Lesley 6k record of 23:34 held by Keryn Thorvaldsen and also smashed the LU NCAA Regional record of 23:52, which she set herself in 2011.
"Leah's been training great all fall with her sights set on NCAA Regionals," said Lynx head coach Pat O'Neill. "The plan going in was to get out hard and be in that top 35. She executed her race perfectly and her training paid off today."
Three other Lesley seniors followed behind Miller. Jacqueline Rosa (Wolcott, Conn.) posted a time of 24:52.40 while Kat Vicino (Mattapoisset, Mass.) and Ana Lutkevich (Mansfield, Mass.) came in at 25:25.41 and 25:30.49, respectively.
Sophomores Elena Pereira (Wilmington, Vt.) and Emilia McGrath (Bowdoin, Me.) came in back-to-back with times of 25:38.47 and 25:38.62 while freshman Abbey Coppinger (Moultonborough, N.H.) rounded out the Lynx runners, crossing the line at 27:14.67.
No. 6 Williams College took the title with 44 points and No. 2 Middlebury College was second with 57, earning automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament. The Lynx will wait to see if they are offered an at-large bid to compete in the National Championship next weekend in Hanover, Ind.
To view the complete list of All-Region Honorees, please click here.