Nov. 18 marked the end of the women’s cross country season and of captain Nicky Roberts’ collegiate cross country career as she crossed the finish line in fifth place at the NCAA DIII National Championships.

The harriers were met with harsh, windy weather and a tough uphill course, but runners across the division rose to the challenge.

Johns Hopkins placed first overall with its fifth title in six years and a University of Chicago runner claimed the best individual time.

For Amherst, Roberts raced into fifth place out of 279 runners, clocking in at 20:49.50.

This impressive time earned Roberts All-American Honors. Roberts’ victory was Amherst’s best individual time at nationals since the 2012 season.

This caps off a stellar senior season, in which she won Most Outstanding Performer at the NESCAC Championships, earned USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week, won the Paul Short Classic and Little Three Championships, and finished second at the regional championship.

Across the NESCAC, Tufts placed seventh and Williams placed eighth, while Middlebury finished in 11th place.
Amherst will look to build upon this strong individual result as the cross-country runners begin to compete in the winter track & field season.