Cross country heads to NCAA Regionals on Saturday

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein University men's and women's cross country teams head to Louisville this weekend to compete at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional. A stacked field on both sides will make for an exciting race in Kentucky on Nov. 15.

Live Results | Otterbein Men Times | Otterbein Women Times | Regional Meet Site

OTTERBEIN MEN: The Cardinals are fresh off their OAC Championship, winning the meet by 25 points. Senior Payne Ratliff has paced the Cardinals all season, winning the OAC individual title.

Otterbein is also led by First Team All-OAC selections Mitch Green, Caleb Rafferty and Corey Rafferty, who all placed inside the top ten at the championship race. Junior Brady Pugh took 16th, landing a spot on the All-OAC Second Team.

In the latest USTFCCCA Regional Ranking, the Cardinals sit third in the region behind the MIAA Champion, Hope, and a familiar foe in the NCAC Champion, John Carroll.

OTTERBEIN WOMEN: Freshman Kate Thormeier ran a personal best at the OAC Championships, claiming third place and First Team All-OAC status. Brenna Lay was one spot behind her, as the runner-up Cardinals saw two runners finish inside the top five. Also running to a First Team All-OAC honor was Abby Kobs, taking ninth at the championship meet.

Ollie Smith and Ella Degenhard also performed to All-OAC status, finishing 13th and 16th at the OAC Championship meet.

The top three ranked teams in the region are out of the MIAA in Trine, Hope and Calvin. Heading into Saturday's race, Case Western Reserve and Ohio Wesleyan sit fourth and fifth.

WHAT'S AT STAKE: A trip to the 2025 DIII Cross Country National Championships is on the line, as the winning team from each region will secure an automatic bid. Below is the information from the NCAA about individual and team at-large selections. The full announcement will be made on Sunday, Nov. 16 for all qualifiers.

Thirty-two teams per gender will be selected for the championships. Ten on each side will automatically qualify (one per region, from regional championships) while the remaining 22 for each of the men's and women's championships will be picked at large. The championship race will be at Roger Milliken Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 23. It will be streamed live on NCAA.com with the women's race at 10 a.m. ET and the men's race at 11 a.m. ET.

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Players Mentioned

Mitch Green: Junior

Brady Pugh: Junior

Caleb Rafferty: Junior

Corey Rafferty: Junior

Payne Ratliff: Senior

Brenna Lay: Sophomore

Ella Degenhard: Freshman

Ollie Smith: Freshman

Kate Thormeier: Freshman

Abby Kobs: Junior

Players Mentioned

Mitch Green
: Junior

Brady Pugh
: Junior

Caleb Rafferty
: Junior

Corey Rafferty
: Junior

Payne Ratliff
: Senior

Brenna Lay
: Sophomore

Ella Degenhard
: Freshman

Ollie Smith
: Freshman

Kate Thormeier
: Freshman

Abby Kobs
: Junior