Meet #6: NCAA Division II East Region Championships | Saturday, Nov. 8 | Contoocook, N.H.
Times & Distances: Women's 6k: 10 a.m. | Men's 10k: 11:15 a.m.
Follow Along: Live Timing
REGIONAL CROWNS
The Daemen University men's and women's cross country teams are back in action this weekend as they compete for their respective regional championships. The NCAA Division II East Region Championships get underway Saturday from Hopkinton State Fair Grounds in central New Hampshire, women's 6K race at 10 a.m., followed by the men's 10K race at 11:15 a.m. In addition to competing for their respective regional crows, the top three finishing men's and women's teams will earn automatic berths in the NCAA Division II National Championships to be held Nov. 22 in Kenosha, Wisc. In addition, the top three finishing individuals from non-qualifying teams also earn the right to compete at the national meet.
ECC CHAMPIONSHIPS RECAP: JOHNSON MAKES HISTORY
The Daemen cross country teams were last in action on Oct. 25 when they participated in the East Coast Conference Championships at Sunken Meadows State Park on Long Island. Daemen junior
CJ Johnson made history, becoming the first Daemen male to take individual medalist honors at the conference championship meet. He paced the field with a time of 26:24.8, helping the Wildcats a runner-up finish in the team standings for the fourth consecutive season. For his efforts, Johnson was named to the All-ECC First Team and the ECC's Most Outstanding Runner. Johnson was joined on the All-ECC Teams by junior
Ethan Keating and freshman
Simon Evans (First Team), as well as senior
Josh Trometer and freshman
Ibrahim Hakizimana (Second Team).
On the women's side, Daemen earned a fourth-place finish and the Wildcats were led by senior
Patsy Oberholzer who placed sixth overall with a time of 19:25.2. Oberholzer, who earned All-ECC First Team honors, has been Daemen's top finisher in each of the team's five races this season. Fellow senior
Christa Oates earned All-ECC Second Team honors after placing 13th with a time of 19:57.2.
EAST REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY - MEN
Saturday's meet marks Daemen's 10th appearance at the East Region Championships, and the Wildcat men are seeking their first-ever top-three finish and NCAA Division II National Championships berth. Daemen's best finish came in 2023 when they narrowly missed a national meet berth by placing fourth. The Wildcats placed 11th last year, and have two top-10 finishes in their history, both coming since 2022.
Individually, the Wildcats have had just one runner earn a top-10 finish at this meet. It came in 2016 when Kevin Roginson placed sixth with a time of 31:54.6. That time still stands as Daemen's best ever at the regional meet.
After missing last year's East Region Championships with an injury, Daemen's
CJ Johnson returns to the field. Johnson earned All-Region honors in 2023 after placing 23rd with a time of 32:16.2. Johnson, Roginson and
Jon Moote are the only male runners from Daemen to earn All-Region honors.
EAST REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY - WOMEN
Daemen has been a fixture among the region's top performing teams dating back a decade. Saturday's meet marks the Daemen women's 10th appearance at the East Region Championships, and they'll be looking for their seventh top-10 finish. The Wildcats have earned two berths to the NCAA Division II National Championships, placing third at the regional meet in both 2022 and 2024. Daemen also owns a pair of fourth-place finishes (2015, 2016) where they just narrowly missed out on national meet berths.
Individually, five Daemen runners have accounted for the team's six top-10 finishes at the regional meet. Daemen Hall of Famer Mackenzie Donahue headlines that group, thanks to her third-place finish in 2015 with a time of 21:42.4 - the best ever by a Daemen female at the regional meet and one that led her to individually qualify for nationals. She would add a 10th place finish the following year. In 2022, Daemen saw Kassy Nolet place third and Marcy Colca place sixth, leading the Wildcats to their first-ever nationals berth as a team. Last season, it was an eight-place finish by
Courtney Merrill and a ninth-place finish by
Camryn Bailey that led the way. Donahue, Nolet, Colca, Merrill and Bailey are the program's past All-Region recipients.
REGIONAL RANKINGS
Both Wildcat teams are included in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II Regional Rankings, released on Oct. 28. The Wildcat men enter the regional meet ranked fifth, while the Daemen women come in ranked ninth.
MEN'S LINEUP
* = PR time
WOMEN'S LINEUP
| RUNNER |
ECC CHAMPIONSHIPS (FINISHING PLACE) |
LAST SEASON @ EAST REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS (FINISHING PLACE) |
PERSONAL BEST 6K TIME (DATE) |
| Lia Brasacchio |
20:18.0 (17/72) |
24:17.6 (57/135) |
23:47.8 (10/11/25) |
| Raegan Giardini |
22:03.7 * (40/72) |
N/A |
N/A |
| Teagan Jones |
24:15.3 * (59/72) |
N/A |
N/A |
| Christa Oates |
19:57.2 (13/72) |
23:01.5 * (27/135) |
23:01.5 (11/9/24) |
| Patsy Oberholzer |
19:25.2 (6/72) |
23:18.7 (30/135) |
22:34.2 (10/11/25) |
| Kylie Piekarski |
20:45.1 (24/72) |
N/A |
24:13.2 (10/11/25) |
| Hayley Pizur |
21:31.0 (35/72) |
N/A |
25:08.7 (10/11/25) |
| Madeline Straub |
21:04.5 (28/72) |
N/A |
25:09.3 (10/8/22) |
| Grace Tag |
22:33.0 * (49/72) |
N/A |
26:40.4 (10/11/25) |
* = PR time
UP NEXT
Should they qualify, either as a team or as individuals, the Wildcats would advance to the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships on Nov. 22 at the Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course in Kenosha, Wisc.
