THE BASICS:

- Results: 1st out of 34 teams (27 points)

- Location: Hopkinton, N.H. (Hopkinton Fairgrounds)

- The Lead: The No. 7 ranked MIT women's cross country team captured the NCAA East Regional Championship for the second year in a row and its eighth overall title with a total of 27 points on Saturday afternoon. The Engineers earned an automatic berth to next weekend's NCAA Division III National Championship in Newville, Pa. with the team victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- Sophomore Lexi Fernandez (Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) finished second overall in a time of 21:53 as the Engineers placed all five scoring runners in the top 10 to easily cruise to the team title by 54 points over runner-up Bates. WPI was third with 100 points. 

- Sophomore Katherine Sanderson (West Hartford, Conn.) and junior Christina Crow (Mercer Island, Wash.) finished in fourth and fifth respectively. Sanderson finished the 6K course in a time of 22:12 while Crow stopped the clock at 22:14.

- First-year Olivia Girand (New York, N.Y.) was the first rookie across the line in seventh place in a time of 22:21, while sophomore Rujuta Sane (Chandler, Ariz.) was ninth in a time of 22:23. The Engineers 1-5 spread was an impressive 30 seconds. 

- First-year Heather Jensen (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) was MIT's first displacement runner across the line in 15th place with a time of 22:27, while sophomore Erin Hovendon (Hendersonville, N.C.) was 26th with a 22:48. 

- All seven MIT runners earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors by finishing in the top 35.

UP NEXT:

- MIT will head to Big Spring High School in Newville, Pa. to continue its quest for a NCAA Division III National Championship. The women's 6K race will begin at 12 p.m. 

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