ROANOKE, Va. – Oglethorpe's cross country teams continued their postseason run in dominant fashion Saturday at the NCAA South Regional Championships, highlighted by top-10 finishes, massive personal records, and standout performances from the Petrels' veterans and rising underclassmen. Graduate student Ashton Deriso and senior Zachary Benner brought home the headline runs finishing runner-up and seventh, respectively, on the way to qualifying for the NCAA Championships for the second straight year.

Men's Highlights

• Deriso delivered a spectacular performance, racing to second place in the 8k with a huge personal record of 24:32.20, one of the fastest times in program history. Benner followed with another strong showing, finishing seventh overall in 24:41.6, securing two top-10 finishes for the Petrels.
• The pair's advancement to the national championships marks the sixth and seventh time a Petrel runner did so in Oglethorpe cross country history. Deriso and Benner account for four of those seven qualifiers. 
• Freshman Zeno Goss continued his impressive debut season, dropping a major PR with a time of 27:44.4.
• The Petrels took 13th in the field of 21 competing teams.

Women's Highlights

• On the women's side, senior Hannah Rhodes once again led the Petrels, finishing the 6k in 23:28.50 and capping off her final regional meet with one of her strongest races of the year. Freshman Kirsten Rose followed closely, running 23:36.10 in a confident and composed performance.
• Junior Allyssa Hearn rounded out the top group with a solid finish of 25:29.30, helping secure another strong team showing at the regional level.
• The Petrels took 15th in the field of 26 competing teams.

Up Next

Deriso and Benner will head to the NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where they will take on the nation's best next Saturday. Last season, the pair took 49th and 217th, respectively, Deriso's 49th-place finish the highest in program history.