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Capital University senior Emma McCarron will finish her cross country career at the NCAA Championships next Saturday after qualifying for the national meet with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Saturday in Alexandria, Ind.
"I was super nervous because everyone around me was so confident about me qualifying for nationals," McCarron said. "I knew I was going to be disappointed if I didn't make it back. When I got to the starting line, I just told myself, 'this is what you've worked for.'"
A Mansfield, Ohio, native, McCarron is the only runner in school history to qualify for the NCAAs. She moved up seven spots from her 13th-place finish a year ago with a 6-kilometer time of 21:53.93, nearly 20 seconds better than her 2011 time. She also earned all-region accolades for the second year in a row after recording her personal-best mark.
McCarron estimated she led the race for approximately 1.5 miles until reaching the 4-kilometer mark, where she said she dropped back from the leaders and was nervous about not qualifying.
McCarron, who had to wait nervously in 2011 to find out her qualifying status, knew when she took her final stride that she would be returning to take on the nation's best.
"I got tired around the 4K mark and went into 'survival' mode," McCarron said. "I went from second place to eighth, then finished up at sixth. I thought I was never going to get to the finish line."
Sophomore Jessi Knoll (Willard, Ohio) also finished in the top third of the field of 234 by placing 78th with a time of 23:59.60. She cut her second team All-Ohio Athletic Conference time by 23 seconds.
Senior Bret Nehrenz (Seville, Ohio; at right) wrapped up his cross country career with a 27:16.72, good for 115th place and a spot in the top half of the 256-competitor draw to lead the men.
Senior Dustin Iacovone (Westerville, Ohio) and freshman Ed Wigton (Lucas, Ohio) finished neck-and-neck to place 171st and 174th, respectively. Iacovone ran a 28:11.65, while Wigton posted a 28:12.46 on the 8-kilometer course.
Junior Mitch Stith (Sunbury, Ohio) rounded out the Crusaders with a 28:19.35, good for 181st place.
Neither the men nor the women brought enough competitors to qualify for a team score or placement.
The NCAA Division III Championships take place next Saturday, Nov. 17, at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind.
McCarron's goal is to finish in the top 35, which would make her the first All-American in Capital cross country history.
"I'm going for it," she said. "I don't care if there are a million other girls there who are faster than me. I'm just going to run my race."
