After winning the 2016 Mid-Atlantic Regional Invitational, the No. 20 Georgetown men’s cross-country team seeks to add to the postseason success at the 2016 NCAA championship meet in Terre Haute, Ind.
The women look to build on a strong showing at Regionals, where they claimed fifth out of 28 teams, at Nationals as well.

Senior Scott Carpenter expressed his excitement of how the Hoyas have run so far in the postseason. However, he stressed that they are not finished yet.

“I think that our team has stepped up when we have really needed them, and it’s really exciting to have some success in the postseason,” Carpenter said. “We are going to be relying on everyone to do their jobs at nationals this weekend as well though. We are not content with the success we have had this season. We want to go to nationals and prove to people how good we really are.”

Last season, then-junior Jonathan Green captured fifth place overall at nationals, running a time of 29:49.5 on the 10,000m course. Carpenter eyes a similar performance this upcoming weekend.

“I want to go to nationals and run as hard as I possibly can,” Carpenter said. “I want to help my team out as much as I can. Personally, I want to be an All-American. I think I belong in the top 20.”
At regionals, Carpenter finished second overall, behind only senior Patrick Tiernan of Villanova, with a time of 30:43. At the Big East championship, Carpenter came in second to Tiernan again, this time finishing the 8-kilometer race in 24:28.7.

Graduate student Michael Lederhouse enters his final nationals meet with plenty of momentum. Lederhouse captured 16th overall at Regionals with a time of 31:13. Junior Christian Alvarado has experienced a breakout season. Alvarado has been a consistent point scorer for the Hoyas this season, and his performance at regionals only solidified himself as a top runner. Alvarado crossed the finish line in 31:06 — good enough for 11th.

With such performances, Carpenter believes that the Hoyas have plenty of momentum going into the weekend.

“We definitely have positive momentum going into nationals,” Carpenter said. “Workouts have been going great, and the last two races have been our best. We need to keep that going, and we need guys to run to their potential to be happy with our result at nationals.”
Even though the Hoyas endured early season struggles, Carpenter knows that they have come together as a team.

“We came into this season with really high aspirations,” Carpenter said. “We have had quite a few injuries with some of our top guys, but I’m proud of the way the team has fought through adversity and kept our minds focused on competing hard. ”

On the women’s side, the team continues to receive steady contribution from a large contingent of runners. Junior Autumn Eastman has led the team the entire season with her leadership and consistent performances. At regionals, Eastman ran a time of 21:20, good for 26th place. At the Big East championship, Eastman finished in 21:45.2, capturing 11th in the process.

Sophomore transfer Josette Norris has had a huge impact for the Hoyas during her debut season. Norris led the way for the Hoyas at regionals, crossing the finish line in 21:17, 24th place overall. Norris has a chance to prove herself once on the biggest stage.

After nationals, Georgetown men’s and women’s teams will transition to the indoor track and field season.