Maddi Clark Finishes Strong at NCAA Championships

SPARTANBURG, FL - Wittenberg junior Maddi Clark (Mentor, OH / Mentor) put the finishing touches on a tremendous 2025 season with a strong run at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. Clark crossed the finish line of the 6K race at the Roger Milliken Center in a time of 23:16.5, good for 164th place in a field of more than 290 runners.

A total of 32 teams and 70 additional individuals comprised the field for 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country Championship race. Clark advanced to the national event after posting a 12th-place finish in the Great Lakes Regional Championships with a time of 22:30.64 on Saturday, Nov. 15, in Louisville, Kentucky. She is the fifth runner to qualify for the national meet in program history and the third runner in the last four years, joining Abi Gerstle (2000, 2001, 2002), Mary Pfeifer (2009, 2010, 2011), Corin Turkovich (2022), and Ella Webster (2023).

"I am super grateful to have an opportunity to compete with the nation's best and to represent Wittenberg at the Division III National Cross Country Championships," Clark said. "I have put in years of hard work, thousands of miles, and made a lot of sacrifices to get all the way to this point. This race was exciting and tough, and I am forever grateful for my amazing family, friends, and coaches at Wittenberg for their support."

Clark ran with the largest pack of runners throughout the race. She was 131st after the first kilometer and dropped back to 180th by the fourth kilometer. She finished strong, however, passing 16 runners over the final two kilometers for her final placement.

Audrey Maclean of Middlebury was the individual champion of the race in a time of 20:16.8 as she won the event by nearly a full second. NYU won the team title.

Written By: Ryan Maurer