Kelsey Whitaker ’16 represented the women’s cross country team at the NCAA Division III Championships on Saturday afternoon, where the junior placed 210th overall out of 280 runners. Whitaker ran the six-kilometer course at Wilmington College in Mason, Ohio, in 24 minutes, 7.06 seconds, her third-fastest time on the year. 

Last Saturday’s race was Whitaker’s second-straight trip to the NCAA Championships after placing in 155th in last year’s race. The trip was Whitaker’s third to the NCAA Championships, as she also earned a bid to the indoor track-and-field championships that took place last March.

Whitaker’s time of 24:7.06 was a step slower than her time at the New England Division III Regional Championships on Nov. 15. At the meet she earned a bid to last Saturday’s race by turning in a time of 22:30.0. Her time at the New England DIII Regional Championships was the top time of the team and her fastest of the season, earning her an 18th-place finish. 

Whitaker also ran a quick race of 24:35.23 on Nov. 1 at the University Athletic Association Championships, where the Judges finished in eighth place. Her time at the UAA Championships was 65th overall out of 77 total runners but set up two successive weeks in which she turned in strong races. 

Whitaker turned in her second-fastest race of the year at the Connecticut College Invitational on Oct. 18, when she earned a 28th-place finish with a time of 23:33.44 but battled injury after the meet and was unable to turn in a sub-24 minute race again until the New England Regional. 

Whitaker will rejoin the team for the beginning of the indoor track-and-field season next Saturday at the University of Massachusetts Boston Invitational, beginning at 10 a.m.