The ninth-ranked Middlebury women's cross country team is seeking the program's 15th NESCAC Title at the upcoming championship on Saturday. The Panthers travel to Connecticut College with the 6-kilometer (6K) race beginning at 12:00 p.m. The men's race will take place first at 11:00 a.m.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury enters the weekend ranked ninth in the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III poll.
• The Panthers have claimed 14 NESCAC team crowns, with the most recent coming in 2018.
• The Panthers won the first three invitationals to start the campaign. They claimed the season-opening Silloway Maple Syrup Challenge, the Aldrich Invitational and the Hoffmann Invitational, which featured a competitively strong field. 
• The Paul Short Run and the Connecticut College Invitational had several top-25 squads, with Middlebury finishing in fourth and sixth in the team standings, respectively.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• The Panthers have been paced this season by Audrey MacLean, who has claimed a pair of individual event wins and earned top-three places in every race. The junior enters the meet after claiming the USTFCCCA National and NESCAC Runner of the Week accolades two weeks ago. MacLean comes off a race at Connecticut College, where the Panther led the field of 261 runners to the finish line, clocking a collegiate best effort of 20:17.2. She also looks to defend her individual title after crossing the finish line first with a time of 20:21.15 at the NESCAC meet last season. 
• Challenging MacLean for the top spot this fall is Claire Palmer. The rookie won the season-opening meet with a clocking of 19:25.44 across the 5K course and has finished in the top-15 spots in each race. 
• MK Cestaro has been a consistent scorer in the Panther lineup. Cestaro's season-best time happened in Connecticut College's Blue Race, breaking the tape at 22:00.6 to garner a top-55 spot in the ultra-competitive field. She has tallied a pair of top-10 efforts this season, highlighted by a fourth-place finish at the Aldrich Invitational.
• Shea Fajen, Stephanie Renouf and Grace Kaelber have vied for spots within the top-five scorers. The trio has each completed 6K races under 23 minutes, with Fajen leading the way with her collegiate-low time of 22:09.5 at Connecticut College, while Kaelber (22:27.5) and Renouf (22:41.3) were right behind.
• Naomi Atwood and Victoria Fawcett have also been key contributors throughout the season and will compete for scoring spots. 

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS

• Williams claimed the NESCAC Championship for the fifth-straight year and the 21st time overall in 2024. Middlebury has the second-most titles (14) behind the Ephs.
• In addition to MacLean, three top-five finishers from last year's event return. Stephanie Ager of Wesleyan, who finished third, along with Williams' Kate Tuttle (fourth) and Tamar Byl-Brann (fifth) round out the group.  
• Producing competitive showings at the Connecticut College Invitational were Eph junior Morgan Eigel, who finished in fifth (21:01.0) and Connecticut College senior Grace McDonough who placed eighth (21:04.7). 
• Five other NESCAC teams are ranked in the latest USTFCCCA poll: Williams (first), Connecticut College (13th), Tufts (17th), Amherst (18th) and Bowdoin (25th).

More information about the championship can be found on the central landing page on the NESCAC website.