This past weekend, sophomore Melissa Innocent made history by becoming the first Cortland women’s cross country runner to qualify for the NCAA Division III National Championship since 2016. Innocent’s impressive performance at the NCAA Division III Niagara Region (Region 3) Women’s Cross Country Championship, held at Fredonia State, earned her a spot at the national meet and added to her growing list of accomplishments.
A Standout Performance at Regionals
In a field of 156 athletes, Innocent finished 15th overall with a time of 22:53.8 in the 6k race. Her result earned her All-Region honors, and she was just 30 seconds shy of setting a personal best at SUNY Cortland. With this strong performance, Innocent secured her place as one of the top 70 runners in the nation to qualify for the national championship as an individual, despite Cortland not having a qualifying team.
Team Results and Notable Performances
Although the Red Dragons did not secure a team qualification for nationals, they finished 10th overall out of 21 schools, tying with Utica College with 254 points. However, due to a tiebreaker based on head-to-head matchups between the top five runners of each team, Utica officially finished ninth, leaving Cortland in 10th. NYU won the team title with 32 points, followed by Geneseo (36 points), Rochester (107), and Hamilton (109).
Several other Cortland runners also delivered strong performances at the meet. Deirdre Sullivan finished 43rd with a time of 23:40.2, while Devin Reilly was close behind in 48th place with a time of 23:53.9. Rounding out the team were Anne Barney (74th, 24:41.9), Julia Benton (76th, 24:45.9), Phoebe Peer (77th, 24:46.9), and Alexa Wolcott (85th, 25:02.7).
Head Coach Steve Patrick praised Innocent’s performance as “quite exciting,” but also took time to highlight the efforts of other runners, particularly Julia Benton and Phoebe Peer. “Both had what might have been their best races of the season,” Patrick said, recognizing the significant contributions of these athletes in securing the team’s overall standing.
A Historic SUNYAC Championship
Earlier this season, Innocent and the Cortland women’s cross country team made history by winning the SUNYAC Championship at Oswego. The Red Dragons secured their 17th SUNYAC title with a narrow victory, finishing with 39 points and edging Oneonta (43 points) by just four points. This victory marked the first time Cortland had won the title since 2010. Other teams in the conference standings included New Paltz (3rd, 77 points), Oswego (4th, 110 points), Plattsburgh (5th, 138 points), and several others.
Innocent played a pivotal role in that win, becoming Cortland’s first SUNYAC women’s cross country individual champion since Emily Cotey in 2012. She completed the 6,000-meter course in 23:43.3, defeating the runner-up, Sabrinna Mena of Oneonta, by more than 21 seconds.
Looking Ahead: NCAA Division III National Championship
Next, Innocent will represent Cortland at the NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country Championship on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 11 a.m., held at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana. Her qualification marks a significant achievement for both her and the Cortland cross country program.
As Innocent prepares for the national competition, be sure to wish her the best of luck as she takes the next step in her cross country journey!