WAVERLY, Iowa – After finishing behind No. 10 Chicago at the 2025 UAA Championships, the No. 13 Washington University in St. Louis women's cross country team charged ahead on Saturday afternoon to claim the 2025 NCAA Midwest Regional Championship, finishing ahead of the Maroons.
WashU claimed the title, scoring just 42 points, six points ahead of runner-up Chicago (48). Host Wartburg was third with 91 points, while Central College (136 points) and Grinnell (148 points) rounded out the top five teams. A total of 30 teams and 219 individual runners competed for the title.
The championship was thanks in large part to sophomore
Lucinda Laughlin, who claimed the individual regional title, finishing the 6K course in 21:29.7.
Senior
Jillian Heth was barely a second behind to claim runner-up honors with a time of 21:30.8.
Senior
Katie Rector was the third on the team to cross the finish line in eighth place with a time of 22:03.5.
Sophomore
Lauren Raley and senior
Riley Clark went back-to-back in 15th and 16th places with times of 22:20.9 and 22:22.3, respectively, to close out scoring for the Bears.
Also running for WashU were sophomore
Maddy Lee (21st – 22:38.6) and sophomore
Sally Carrington (28th – 23:00.2).
With the win, WashU receives the automatic bid as a team to the 2025 NCAA Championship next Saturday, Nov. 22, in Spartanburg, S.C. The women's race gets underway at 12 p.m. ET at the Roger Milliken Center.
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Elevating scholar-champions requires resources beyond the institutional budget. Through the W Club, generous alumni, parents, and friends provide unrestricted support that is essential to the extraordinary WashU student-athlete experience—and the ongoing growth and development of the department. Annual support for Athletics allows the Bears to consistently rise to national levels of competition and ensures that our student-athletes enjoy exceptional opportunities as they train, compete, and lead. To make a gift to the Annual Fund for Athletics, please visit our secure online giving form or contact the Athletics Advancement Office at athletics@wustl.edu.
