Women’s Cross Country Finishes in the Top 3 at Nationals

The Oxford College of Emory University women's cross country team wrapped up their season in the 2022 NJCAA DIII National Championship in Westfield, MA. The event was held on Saturday morning and the Eagles finished in third place. 

It was a close championship, with the top three only separated by three points. Harper College claimed the title with a low score of 52 points, while Mineral Area College finished with 53. Oxford finished with 55 points. 

Sophomore Emily Wilhelm, the Region XVII runner of the year, led the Eagles with a top-10 finish, running 20:21. Fellow sophomore Joyce Zhang ran 20:36.13 to finish in 12th place, while freshman Halle Wulff ran 20.36.94 to finish two places after. Rounding out the top five runners for Oxford were sophomore Sophia Lee (20:38) and freshman Nancy Puente (21:17). 

Wilhelm, Zhang and Wulff were named All-Americans. Wilhelm earned second-team honors, while Zhang and Wulff earned third-team. 

"Cross Country is one of the most challenging sports in NJCAA DIV III. The talent is stacked nationwide and you truly have to earn anything you accomplish," mentioned Coach Ella O'Kelley. "We are pleased with walking away with healthy returnees and placing top three despite the gaming changing mistakes we made. We know we gave away the 2-point difference between 1st and 3rd. Nonetheless, being a champion is not how you celebrate when you win but how you transform through the lessons. Winning the national championship last year was not the turning point for our program. Coming back and not fully defending it is. Stay tuned for a season of rise and redemption."

The Eagles saw another strong 2022 campaign, finishing in the top 5 at five events. They won the GCAA Regional Championships in October for the second-straight year and coach Ella O'Kelley was named Region XVII Coach of the Year.