Audrey MacLean closed out her extraordinary fall by becoming the second individual NCAA Champion in program history and the first since 1986. The ninth-ranked Middlebury women's cross country team posted its best team finish in seven years at the 2025 NCAA Division III National Championships on Saturday, claiming eighth out of 32 teams at the event.

COURSE INFORMATION

• Location: Spartanburg, S.C.
• Course: Milliken Cross Country Course
• Host School: Converse University
• Weather: 72 and sunny
• Distance: 6 kilometers (6K)
• Place: 8th of 32

HIGHLIGHTS

• MacLean dominated the field, nabbing the lead after the first split and never looking back. She crossed the finish line in 20:16.8, shaving 0.4 seconds off her career-best to beat RPI's Jules Bleskoski by over 48 seconds. The junior caps a stellar season after consecutive first-place finishes at the conference and regional invites.
• Claire Palmer garnered All-American honors in her rookie season, nabbing 23rd place with a clocking of 21:38.3 in her first appearance on the national stage.
• Shea Fajen and Grace Kaelber soared up the leaderboard during the race. Fajen climbed 80 spots over the race, placing 105th at 22:49.9. Kaelber clipped 51 runners to earn 139th in her national debut, crossing the line in 23:06.5.
• Victoria Fawcett rounded out the Middlebury scorers, jumping 37 places from the two-kilometer mark on to take 163rd (23:16.0).
• MK Cestaro and Naomi Atwood finished 181st (23:21.2) and 185th (23:22.4), respectively. Atwood burst forward with a late surge in the final kilometer, overtaking 30 competitors in the home stretch.

NOTES

• In addition to her national crown, MacLean becomes the fourth three-time All-American in team history. The only other Panther to win the individual NCAA title was Middlebury Athletics Hall of Famer Dorcas Denhartog '87.
• MacLean and Palmer become the 42nd and 43rd Panthers to be named All-Americans.
• Middlebury's team finish is its highest since claiming eighth at the 2018 national meet. The performance is the program's 17th top 10 finish in history.
• The Panthers made their 29th appearance on the NCAA stage.

Middlebury concludes a strong season after winning three invites and finishing as runners-up in the NESCAC and NCAA Mideast Regional Championships.