Anna Kostarellis Wraps Up Record-Breaking Season at NCAA Championships

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Junior Anna Kostarellis placed 66th - the highest finish in school history - at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 23. The meet was hosted by Indiana State at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind.

She posted a time of 21:02.50 in the 6K race. The women's race had 254 participants.

Kostarellis is the third Xavier runner in program history to compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

Madeline Britton competed at the championships in 2017 (208th - 21:42.60) and Clare Fischerr raced at the 2013 championships (203rd - 22:06.30).

QUOTING COACH ORNER

"Anna caped off a great season with an impressive first NCAA Championship appearance. She got out really well in the first 1k, hung in there with the top 40 through most of the race and finished strong over the last 400. I was happy with how she placed but really impressed by how she handled the entire weekend. Anna was calm and stress free all the way up to the start of the race. She showed her maturity and mental poise which helped her enjoy the experience."

"As far as what's next, we're going to take some time off now and then get ready for indoor track."

KOSTARELLIS NOTABLES

• Anna Kostarellis picked up U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region Honors on Monday, Nov. 18. A total of 225 men and 225 women from 139 different institutions earned the distinction by finishing among the top-25 runners at one of nine regional sites across the country.

• Anna Kostarellis placed 11th (out of 215 runners) at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Friday, Nov. 15 in Madison, Wis. She posted a time of 20:33.80 in the 6K race. She earned an individual at-large bid to the NCAA Championships on Saturday, Nov. 23.

• Anna Kostarellis placed second at the BIG EAST Championships on Nov. 2 in Kenosha, Wis. She earned All-BIG EAST honors for the second time in as many seasons as she placed 18th at the meet a year ago.

• Anna Kostarellis has won two meets this season. The Churchville, N.Y., native won the Queen City Invitational on Saturday, Aug. 31 and the Louisville Classic on Saturday, Oct. 5. Her time of 16:43.10 in the 5K race at the Louisville Classic established a new school record.

• Anna Kostarellis was ranked 42nd nationally in the 2019 FloXC Top-255 Individual rankings as announced on Nov. 17.

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