Complete results (HTML)
 
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – By her own admission, Dania Holmberg began this fall's cross country campaign with a certain element of fear.
 
On Saturday, she raced with no fear whatsoever. And her Seattle Pacific teammates followed suit.
 
Holmberg ran to an All-American 21^st-place finish, Kate Lily jumped nearly 70 places from last year, and SPU was 12th among the 34 teams at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.
 
"It's a little surreal – it's fun and exciting," Falcons junior Holmberg said. "I had a lot of fear coming into the season just because I didn't know how it was going to turn out. It definitely exceeded my expectations. But the most exciting part was the growth I had and the growth we had as a team."
 
Competing on the same 6-kilometer layout at Arcade Creek Golf Course that they toured in September at the Capital Cross Challenge, the Falcons finished with 425 points, climbing three spots from last year's 15th position.
 
 

 The placing was SPU's highest since the 2009 squad took fourth in Evansville, Indiana -- and was especially gratifying to associate head coach Chris Reed, who was undeniably emotional as he talked about Saturday's accomplishment.
 
"It means everything. This group was not what we had planned, and yet, they still found a way to keep their heads in the game and stick together as a group," he said. "About a month ago when our team changed (sophomore front runner Kaylee Mitchell left the program), there was a lot of curiosity about whether we had the ability to make it here and run at the level we did."
 
"When you have a group that is team-first and runs for something greater than themselves, it's amazing what you can accomplish," Reed added. "This is the best team we've had in a decade at this stage – and it's not even easy to reach this stage. They believed in each other every step of the way. This is a team that can inspire teams for generations to come."
 
FLYING AT THE START
SPU junior Holmberg completed her 6 kilometers in 20 minutes, 48.8 seconds. That was a 29-second drop from the 21:17.6 she posted at the Capital Cross in September, when she placed 24th.
 
Just like then, she steadily moved up. Holmberg was 61^st at 800 meters and 51^st at the mile. Then, with about a mile to go, she had climbed to 41^st, and continued reeling in runners ahead of her the rest of the way.
  
 

"The first mile was so fast, I was feeling kind of tired," she said. "I don't remember much of the second mile – I was just trying to keep up with the people I was running with. I just said that I needed to get keep myself going. I wanted to be able to have the kind of race that I worked so hard for."
 
And when found out she was 21^st?
 
"It was more like, 'Wow' – I didn't expect that," said Holmberg, who placed 176th a year ago. "But it was also for the team. It was so special. With the number of curveballs we've had, it just drives home that this is a special group of individuals, and it's a treasure to race with them."
 
Holmberg's postseason collection included fourth place at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference meet, second at NCAA West Regionals, and now 21^st at nationals.
 
"Dania put herself in good position early," Reed said. "Her last 1K was really electric. She had a big kick and took advantage of it. She passed a lot of people on that last stretch."
 
 

Lilly, a senior, was steadily in the mid 40s to low 50s most of the way. She came through the finish line in 21:10.2. At 51^st, that was a leap of 69 spots from last year's 120^th.
 
Seniors Katherine Walter and Sedona McNerney and junior Elizabeth Thompson all had significant time improvements from the Capital Cross Challenge. Walter, who had been as far back as the 160s, moved all the way up to 104^th in 21:42.8, improving 32 seconds from eight weeks ago. McNerney had a 45-second improvement and was 159^th in 22:15.8, and Thompson dropped 15 seconds to take 167^th in 22:23.4.
 
"That's where our experience paid off," Reed said. "People who have run this course and run at NCAAs before, they all stepped up. Our veterans had a lot of confidence and ran with heart and passion, and it showed in the results."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Perennial power Adams State of Colorado dominated the meet to reclaim the crown from 2018 winner Grand Valley State of Michigan. Adams finished with an other-worldly total of 23 points, including 1-2-3 individually. Grand Valley was second with 87.
-- The Falcons were fourth among the seven West Region qualifiers. Chico State finished seventh (319), Alaska Anchorage eighth (375) and Cal State East Bay ninth (380).
-- Dania Holmberg became the 18^th cross country All-American in SPU history. All-American status is awarded to the top 40 individuals at nationals.
 
  
NCAA WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
NCAA Division II Championships
Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019
6 kilometers at Arcade Creek Golf Course / Sacramento, Calif.
 
Team scores – 1, Adams State 23; 2, Grand Valley State 87; 3, Colorado School of Mines 134; 4, Western Colorado 192; 5, University of Mary 233; 6, Augustana (S.D.) 2356; 7, Chico State 319; 8, Alaska Anchorage 375; 9, Cal State East Bay 380; 10, Walsh 393; 11, Hillsdale 414; 12, Seattle Pacific 425; 13, Lee 450; 14, Southern Indiana 452; 15, UC Colorado Springs 473; 16, Northwest Nazarene 484; 17, Western Washington 507; 18, Edinboro 518; 19, Saginaw Valley State 519; 20, Southwest Baptist 523; 21, Queens 551; 22, Stonehill 563; 23, Tampa 567; 24, Michigan Tech 576; 25, Wayne State 620; 26, Pittsburg State 635; 27, Cal Poly Pomona 660; 28, Roberts Wesleyan 668; 29, Davis & Elkins 702; 30, Saint Leo 709; 31, Wingate 737; 32, Southern New Hampshire 821; 33, Flagler 849; 34, Seton Hill 880.
 
Top 10 – 1, Stephanie Cotter (Adams State) 19:155; 2, Elish Flanagan (Adams State) 19:39.0; 3, Roisin Flanagan (Adams State) 19:39.3; 4, Ida Narbuvoll (UMary) 20:12.1; 5, Emmanuelah Chelimo (UAA) 20:18.3; 6, HaLeigh Hunter-Galvan (Adams State) 20:19.2; 7, Chloe Cook (Colo Mines) 20:24.0; 8, Billie Hatch (Dixie State) 20:26.1; 9, Lauren Bailey (Indianapolis) 20:27.9; 10, Nancy Jeptoo (UAA) 20:30.2.
 
SPU placers – 21, Dania Holmberg 20:48.8; 51, Kate Lilly 21:10.2; 104, Katherine Walter 21:42.8; 159, Sedona McNerney 22:15.8; 167, Elizabeth Thompson 22:23.4; 201, Kelsey Washenberger 22:47.7.