PHILADELPHIA – Five athletes from the University of Pennsylvania men's and women's cross country programs earned All-Region honors, the USTFCCCA announced.
Following a season in which three individuals qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships – the most ever – three from the men's team, Daniel Cohen, Anthony Russo and Sam Webb were named All-Mid-Atlantic Region while Danielle Orie and Maddie Villalba garnered the same distinction on the women's side.
A total of 225 men and 225 women earned All-Region by finishing among the top-25 runners at one of nine regional sites across the country.
At the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, Russo and Webb led the charge for the Quakers, finishing seventh and ninth, respectively, and becoming the 11th and 12th national qualifiers under James P. Tuppeny/Betty J. Costanza Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Steve Dolan. Webb capped his senior season by finishing 110 at the NCAA Championships, running the 10K in 30:42.66, while Russo finished in 31:28.73 in 187th.
Cohen took the final All-Region spot by placing 25th at Penn State's Blue and White Course, crossing the line in 31:56 and helping Penn to a fourth-place finish out of 24 teams.
On the women's side, Villalba was the lone national qualifier after running the best performance in program history at the NCAA Regional. She crossed the line in fourth – the best ever – finishing the 6K in 21:15 and became just the ninth runner in program history to qualify. She finished 132nd in Madison, Wis. at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Orie, a sophomore, claimed All-Region honors after finishing in 17th place at Penn State - her second time garnering regional honors in as many seasons - crossing the line in 21:39. She helped Penn place fifth of 30 teams.
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