Behind All-American performances from senior Christina Crow and juniors Rujuta Sane and Kate Sanderson, the MIT women's cross country team claimed its first NCAA Division III National Championship on Nov. 23 at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course in Indiana.
MIT entered the race as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation after winning its 17th straight NEWMAC conference title and its fourth straight NCAA East Regional Championship in 2024. The Engineers completed a historic season with a run for the record books, taking first in the 6K race to win their first national championship.
The Engineers got out to an early advantage over the University of Chicago through the opening kilometer of the 6K race, with Sanderson among the leaders on the course in seventh place. MIT had all five scoring runners inside the top 30 early in the race.
It was still MIT and the University of Chicago leading the way at the 3K mark, but the Maroons closed the gap on the Engineers, as senior Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel moved toward the front of the pack. MIT's top seven spread from 14th to 32nd through the 3K mark, showing off the team depth that powered the Engineers throughout the season.
Despite MIT's early advantage, it was Chicago that had the team lead at the 5K mark, as the top five Maroons on the course spread from 3rd to 34th place to drop Chicago's team score to 119. Sanderson and Sane found the pace to lead the Engineers in 14th and 17th place, while Crow was in a tight race for the final All-American spot in 41st place, giving MIT a score of 137 at the 5K mark.
The final 1K of Crow's collegiate career pushed MIT's lone senior into an All-American finish with a 35th place performance in 21:43.6. With Sanderson finishing in 21:26.2 to take 16th and Sane in 19th with a time of 21:29.9, sophomore Liv Girand and junior Lexi Fernandez closed in 47th and 51st place, respectively, rallying the Engineers past Chicago over the final 1K to clinch the national title for MIT.
Sanderson is now a two-time All-American after finishing in 34th place during the 2023 National Championship. Crow and Sane earned the honor for the first time. Sanderson and Sane each recorded collegiate personal records in the race. Girand finished with a time of 21:54.2 (47th) while Fernandez had a time of 21:57.6 (51st).
Sophomore Heather Jensen and senior Gillian Roeder helped MIT finish with all seven runners inside the top 55, as Jensen was 54th in 21:58.2 and Roeder was 55th in 21:59.6. MIT finished with an average time of 21:42.3 and a spread of 31.4.
