Canada’s Ceili McCabe takes third place at NCAA XC Championships

Vancouver’s Ceili McCabe capped off a stellar fall season this Saturday with an impressive third-place finish at the 2021 Division 1 NCAA Cross Country Championships. She completed the women’s six-kilometre course in 19:29.5, behind Alabama’s Mercy Chelangat (19:29.3) and Brigham Young University’s Whittni Orton, who won the race in 19:25.4.

Ceili McCabe looks to continue her phenomenal season at the NCAA XC Championships

At only 20 years old, the third-year student at West Virginia University has been on fire since the summer, when she set a massive PB in the 3,000m steeplechase (9:32.01) and was only seconds off the Olympic qualifying standard. Since then, she has won four straight cross-country races in notable XC meets like the Nuttycombe Invitational, NCAA Regionals and her conference championship. This Saturday’s podium finish was her first loss of the season, and was a massive improvement over last year’s performance, when she placed 29th as a second-year student.

Other Canadian results

Gracelyn Larkin of Rosseau, Ont., who runs for the University of New Mexico, was the next-best Canadian finisher in the women’s 6K, running 19:47.9 for 21st place and helping her team to a third-place finish. Guelph, Ont.’s Stefanie Parsons, who also runs for the Lobos, finished just seven seconds behind her fellow Canadian in 19:54.6 for 36th. Taryn O’Neill of Kelowna, B.C., ran to a 42nd-place finish in 19:58.2, followed by Sadie Sigfstead of Edmonton, Alta., in 20:27.5 for 93rd place.

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14 Canadians post top-10 results at NCAA conference championships

In the men’s 10K, the top Canadian finisher was Toronto’s Ehab El-Sandali, who ran to a 25th place finish in 29:25.3. Guelph, Ont.’s Michael Coccia crossed the line in 29:42.8 for 43rd, and Calgary’s Ryan Smeeton helped the Oklahoma Cowboys to a third-place finish, running 29:42.8 for 57th place. Kieran Lumb, the former Canadain U Sports Champion from B.C. who now competes for the Washington Huskies, ran 30:05.2 for 87th place.

For a full list of results, click here.