LANSING, Mich. — Evelyn Villalobos (Jr., Crystal) capped her junior season Saturday at the NCAA Championships, taking 119th place out of 292 runners with a time of 23:36.3. Villalobos is the 35th Gustie to compete at the NCAA Division III Women’s Championships, with the most recent being Tierney Winter who placed 18th in 2019.
“This was a great first nationals experience for Evelyn. She got buried early, and was in the last-30 at the start of the race. For her to make up that much ground and finish in the top 120 is really impressive,” said Head Coach Brenden Huber.
“She found her groove and was really cruising. You could tell that she was loving every minute, and for her to pass that many people made the experience all the more fun. She embraced the crappy conditions and took advantage of a great opportunity.”
Kassie Parker of Loras won the national championship with a time of 21:06.5. Fellow MIAC runners Fiona Smith (Saint Benedict) and Clara Mayfield (Carleton) placed second and third, respectively. Johns Hopkins won the team championship, with three runners in the top-26.
“To see the top-two MIAC individuals in second and third in the nation and both Northfield teams in the top eight demonstrates that we truly do run against the best competition in this conference. It validates that Evelyn belongs here. She had a tremendous season.”