CARLISLE, PA – Senior Sennett Turner of the University of Rochester cross country team ended near the middle of the pack at the 2023 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, competing with some of the best runners Division III runners in the country on Saturday afternoon.
 
Overall, Turner placed 147th of 293 runners, traveling the 6-kilometer course at Big Spring High School, with Dickinson University serving as the host institution. The senior posted an overall time of 22:49.6 in the event.
 
Turner's time during the race was the third best of her career, all of which have come in the 2023 season. Her lifetime 6K best result happened last week at the NCAA Niagara Region Championships at Houghton University, where she earned All-Region honors and produced a result good enough to qualify her into the national meet on an individual basis.
 
During Saturday's competition, Turner used a strong kick over the middle portion of the race to pass over 100 runners. After one mile, the senior sat in 234th place with a 6:02 split.
 
The next mile saw Turner pass 68 runners with her 6:15 mile time, and over the next 1.1 miles (5K split), Turner had eclipsed 38 more competitors in the field, moving up to 128th place.
 
The final 1,000 meters saw Turner get passed by 19 individuals, but close in 3:34 to reach her final time of just under 23 minutes.
 
In the overall race, Fiona Smith of St. Benedict claimed the NCAA individual title in 19:54.1, winning by over a full minute on the runner-up finisher. Carleton College won a tight competition on the team leaderboard, winning the national title with 151 team points, edging out NYU (154), Chicago (156) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (158).