CHESTNUT HILL, Mass: An athlete form Beaver Bank has helped play an impactful role in seeing her university women’s cross country team qualifying for the 2024 NCAA Division 1 championships.
The teams that made it were announced last weekend by the NCAA D1 Cross Country subcommittee.
The Boston College Eagles, with Beaver Bank’s Abby Lewis leading the charge, was announced as one of those teams.
Boston College earned a spot in the NCAA Championship via an at-large bid after a top-three finish at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship and an impressive 2024 campaign. The Eagles are one of eight ACC schools to secure a bid.
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This is the second year in a row that the Eagles have qualified for the championship meet, and third time since 2019.
It is the school’s 21st time qualifying in program history, which is second most all-time of all ACC schools.
The women’s cross country team has not qualified for the NCAA Championship meet in back-to-back years since 2011-12.
Boston College is coming off a 2024 campaign where two newcomers have made a big impact on the success of the program.
Freshman Abby Lewis and grad student Abby Loveys have been two key reasons why the Eagles currently sit at No. 25 in the country and top-three in the northeast region according to USTFCCCA polls.
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Lewis made her collegiate debut at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, placing 64th overall.
The Lockview High alum continued her success into the ACC Cross Country Championship, where she placed 43rd.
Lewis followed up with a season best time of 20:24.43 at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship, which earned her 20th place and All-Region honors. Lewis was also the highest placing true freshman at the meet.
Loveys transferred to the Eagles for the 2024 season, and wasted no time making a notable impact on the course. Loveys made her Eagle debut at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, earning 64th place.
The Randolph, N.J. native best moment of the season came at the ACC Cross Country Championship, when she earned All-ACC honors for placing 20th overall. Loveys’ time of 20:09.2 was also good for a season-best.
The 2024 NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships will be held on Saturday, Nov. 23 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wisc.
The Women’s 6k will begin at 10:20 a.m. ET, and fans can watch the race nationally on ESPNU.
- With info from the Boston College report
