Hastings qualifies for NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country Championships
INDIANAPOLIS, Md.-- Isabella Hastings from the women's cross country team has qualified for the NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country Championships held at Dickinson College on November 18 in Newville, Pennsylvania.
Hastings, a freshman from Grantham, New Hampshire, has been Salve Regina's top performer at every race this season. She completed her first 6,000-meter race at the Brown Invitational at the end of September in at time of 24:08.71. Yesterday Hastings came across the finish line at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Championship in 22:19.70.
Qualifiers were determined by the NCAA based on the results of the respective regional championships. 32 teams participated in each championship and the top team from each region received the automatic-qualifier bid, with 22 teams receiving at-large bids. 70 individual qualifiers, or the top seven athletes in each region who did not qualify with their teams were selected to advance to the NCAA Championships.
"Izzy set a goal to qualify for nationals this season," said head coach Kacie Gallo. "She set her mind to it and put in the work each week. Each week she ran 6,000 meters, she improved on her time. Every practice Izzy pushed herself in the workouts to get better. She did not give up yesterday and pushed to the very end of the race, edging a runner at the line. Every race Izzy gives 110% and leaves it all on the course. The time she ran at the regional meet yesterday is two seconds off the all-time record at Salve Regina in just her first season as a Seahawk."
Region II (Mideast) Qualifiers:
Jules Bleskoski, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Olivia Pisacano, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Isabella Hastings, Salve Regina University
Shams Ferver, Smith College
Pria Parker, Smith College
Catherine Decey, Union College
Stephanie Ager, Wesleyan University