PITTSBURGH – The Duquesne University men's and women's cross country teams are set for a trip to the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships on Friday.
MEET INFORMATION
2025 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships
Date/Time: Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 | 12:00 p.m.
Location: Goodman Campus XC Course | Bethlehem, PA
Races: Women's 6K | Men's 10K
THE LINEUP
- Men's Race (10K): Jacob Bonnar, Brendan Burns, Anthony Ciecierski, Sam de la Riva, Liam Kirkpatrick, Ben Shields, Mason Stewart, Nathaniel Woshner
- Women's Race (6K): Emma Andreen, Gina Bolla, Lauren Ciuca, Sylvia Kashak, Kendall Lucas, Elizabeth Pizon, Kate Saum, Sophia Trevenen
ABOUT THE DUKES
- Last Time Out: Duquesne freshmen Gianna Mosca and Kyle Kochanski swept the individual titles to lead a small contingent of Dukes at the Saint Francis Red Flash Rally last Saturday. At the A-10 Championships, both men's and women's squads finished 12th. Gina Bolla led the women in 33rd with a 22:00.8 (6K), while Ben Shields paced the men in 42nd at 24:57.7 (8K).
- Leading the Way: Sophomore Ben Shields has been the Dukes' top runner in all five races that he has competed in this season, including top-five overall finishes at RMU and Saint Francis. He earned a personal best and Atlantic 10 Performer of the Week honors after the RMU race.
- Bolla Ballin': Gina Bolla, Duquesne's top finisher at the A-10 Championships, has dominated her senior season with wins at Youngstown State and the SFU Father Bede Invite, a 5K PR, and Atlantic 10 Performer of the Week recognition for a third-place finish at Carnegie Mellon.
- Regional History: Bolla is the only returning runner from last year's regional at Penn State, where she was DU's third scorer in 95th overall (21:55.6). Saum will make her second apperance at regionals, last racing in 2023. Shields finished second on the men's team last year in 83rd and returns as the top runner. Nathaniel Woshner (32:07.6, 104th) and Mason Stewart (32:29.1, 120th) complete the trio of returning scorers, while Anthony Ciecierski (33:48.9, 162nd) will compete in his second NCAA race.
QUALIFYING CRITERIA
After regionals, the top two teams from each of the nine regions automatically qualify for the NCAA Division I Championships, giving 18 automatic team qualifiers. The NCAA DI Cross Country Subcommittee then selects 14 at-large teams to complete the 32-team field. For individuals, the top four finishers at regionals who are not on a qualified team advance automatically, provided they finish in the top 25 of their region. This gives 36 automatic individual qualifiers, plus two at-large selections — the highest-placing remaining runners at regionals — for a total of 38 individuals.
FOLLOW THE DUKES
Follow Duquesne Cross Country all season online at GoDuquesne.com, as well as on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook (@DuqXCTF).
