NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — One week after powering Smith College to one of the best regional performances in program history, junior Lucy Kreipke (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) will toe the line with the nation's best at the 2025 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 22, in Spartanburg, S.C.

Kreipke qualified as an individual out of the Mideast Region, earning one of just seven at-large spots from the region and joining a national field of 32 teams and 70 individual competitors. The championships will be held at the Roger Milkin Cross Country Course, with the women's 6K going off at 11:00 a.m. ET. 



Season Snapshot
Kreipke has been one of the Bears' front-runner all fall, consistently placing herself in the thick of championship-caliber packs. At the 2025 NEWMAC Championship in Attleboro, she crossed the line in 13th place in 22:53.1, earning All-Conference honors as a top-19 finisher and leading Smith to a 4th-place team finish in one of the deepest conference fields in Division III. That performance capped a regular season that saw the Bears match up with top regional and national programs at meets like Wesleyan, the Paul Short Run, and the Connecticut College Invitational, sharpening Kreipke for the postseason.

Punching Her Ticket in Canton
The breakthrough came at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional in Canton, N.Y., where Kreipke delivered an All-Region performance on the Ronald C. Hoffmann Championship Course. Racing with patience, she worked through a crowded early pack and surged over the final kilometer to finish 26th overall in 22:50.5 (6:07 pace), securing her place at Nationals and anchoring Smith to an 11th-place team finish — just one point shy of the top 10. It marked back-to-back top-tier regional team results for the Bears and underscored Kreipke's growth as a championship racer across her three seasons in the program. 

Building on Last Year's Debut

This trip to Nationals is no accident—it's been a year in the making. After gaining valuable experience in her NCAA Championship debut last season, Kreipke and the coaching staff set their sights on not just returning to the national stage, but being ready to compete with the nation's best.

As head coach Jack Wood put it:

"Lucy has worked relentlessly all season towards the goal of racing at Nationals. Building upon her NCAA Championship debut last year, she has developed the tools to race and compete with the nation's top runners."

That growth has shown up in every phase of her racing—smarter positioning early, more confident moves in the middle miles, and a sharper closing gear when it matters most.

On the National Stage
In Spartanburg, Kreipke will line up against a deep Division III field that includes automatic-qualifying teams from across the country, 22 at-large squads, and standout individuals from each of the 10 regions. Representing the Mideast alongside fellow individual qualifiers from Wesleyan, St. Lawrence, Rensselaer, Rhode Island College, and Coast Guard, she'll aim to carry the same late-race momentum that propelled her through the regional field.

How to Follow Lucy at Nationals
Live Championship Hub & Coverage: Video Link
Live Results (NCAA DIII Championships – Spartanburg): Live Results Link
Streaming and live updates for all three divisions will be available through NCAA.com on race day. 

About Smith Athletics: Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log onto GoSmithBears.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram