Winter Cross Country Nationals - Shea makes US Team, Masters win

Elle Shea (Emerging Elites, Belmont MA) earned her second trip to the World Cross Country Championships and multiple New England masters ran to age division wins at the USA Winter National Cross Country Championships held in Richmond, Virginia, on January 20.  Temperatures in the 20's and strong winds on an open course made the weather as much of a challenge as the course itself. 

In the Junior / U20 (not turning 20 during the year) competition, Shea took the sixth and final qualifying spot for Team US over the 6km course. She'll head to Belgrade, Serbia, to race agaist the world's best juniors on March 30. 

Thee New England association Masters brought home individual age group gold medals from the masters races.  Mary Cass (Liberty AC) was the class of the 60-64 division, and with teammates Amanda King and Viki Bok, took the W60+ team gold over the 6km route. That bettered their team bronze at the 2023 Fall Club Nationals. Cass amd King were also 1-2 in the women's age graded results. 
In the Masters Men 8km, 2023 USATF Masters Runner of the Year Nat Larson (Gr.Springfield Harriers/Amherst MA) continued to roll through the M60 competition with the M60-64 age group win; he also scored the top men's age graded performance. David Westenberg (Gr.Lowell RoadRunners/Wellesley MA) was M65-69 champion.

Full results of all races 
Photo albums (and webpage photos) by Mike Scott
Masters    Open/U20