Warsaw, IN – For the first time in program history, Crown College took home the NCCAA DII Women’s Cross Country National Championship on Friday, November 15.
 
The Polars edged out Bob Jones University with 33 points compared to 39 points from the Bruins. Three of the top 10 finishers in the race were from Crown, with Ella Dufault finishing first out of 66 runners with a time of 19:13.80. Mia Arroyo finished fourth with a time of 20:07.00, followed by Ruth Brueckner finishing fifth with a time of 20:08.70. Moody Bible Institute finished third in the team standings.
 
Highlights

• Amelia Spalding of Spurgeon College finished second as an individual qualifier with a time of 19:47.50. She is the first ever NCCAA DII Women’s Cross Country All-American in program history for the Knights, as this is their first year of competition.
• Bob Jones earned three All-American spots, with Joy Hast finishing sixth (20:15.60), Joanna Lain finishing eighth (20:42.30), and Kristen Dodds picking up a ninth-place finish (21:09.90).
• Carlie Blevins from Faith Baptist Bible College finished third with a time of 19:54.00. Her teammate Becca Hulinksy picked up a tenth-place finish at 21:10.60 to earn a pair of All-American honors for the Eagles.
• Thea Van Halteren from Redeemer University finished seventh with a time of 20:31.90, giving the Royals their first NCCAA DII Women’s Cross Country All-American in program history.
• Grant DeWitt earned Coach of the Year honors. DeWitt is in his second year as head coach of the Polars

 
Final results for the NCCAA DII Women's 5k can be found here. A full list of award winners can be found here.

About the NCCAA
Established in 1968, the National Christian College Athletic Association uses intercollegiate athletics to further the Great Commission and is committed to equipping student-athletes and coaches to make a positive impact for Christ. The NCCAA currently holds 23 national championship events, along with two national invitationals for 92 member schools across 28 states and two Canadian provinces. For more information on the NCCAA, visit our website, thenccaa.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram at @thenccaa.