An air of excitement surrounds the Roadrunner Men's and Women's Cross Country teams as they prep for Saturday's NJCAA Division III National Championship Meet Saturday hosted by Iowa Central Community College at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge, IA.
The Runners' Women's Team captured the Region 19 titles on Oct. 26th for the third straight season while the men placed third overall in the Region 19 tournament. Both teams are looking for more glory heading into the big stage.
The men's and women's teams produced 3 All-Region performers. The race also served as the Garden State Athletic Conference championships, with the Roadrunners earning several All-GSAC performances from both squads.
On the women's side, Laney Vecchio emerged as the Region 19 individual champion on the hilly Lancaster County Park course while teammate Kayla Ayars also finished as an All-Region performer. On the men's side, freshman Ryne Handley earned All-Region honors. All three runners are hoping to qualify for the All-American Teams.
Vecchio has been a late season addition to the roster who has made an immediate impact on the team. Her time of 20:05 in the Regional meet was easily the top performance of the meet -- and she is hoping to see even more improvement Saturday.
"I can run faster, and I'm ready for the challenge," said. Vecchio, a former Delsea runner. "Hopefully the flat course helps with my time."
Agreed, said Ayars, a freshman from Woodstown.
"You're never sure what to expect in a race like this because you're up against the best in the country," said Ayars. "Hopefully the flat course will help us run our best times of the season."
Handley will also look for faster times in the men's race. "We're hoping this type of course will be good for everyone. We're excited to see how far we can push ourselves."
See below for the Roadrunner Men's and Women's Roster and the schedule of Division III races. Check back for meet results.
Roadrunner Men's Cross Country Roster
Coach Ryan Hughes
Assistant Coach: Sharon Schilling
Sean Gallo
Gary Schwegel
Kevin Profico
Ryne Handley
Alexis Huerta-Tapia
Sebastian Koehn
Dan Mumbower
Roadrunner Women's Cross Country Roster
Coach Ryan Hughes
Assistant Coach: Sharon Schilling
Kayla Ayars
Amelia Helkowski
Gabriella Szwed
Georgia Lorenzetti
Laney Vecchio
NJCAA Cross Country Championships
Lakeside Golf Course
Fort Dodge, Iowa
Host: Iowa Central CC
Saturday, November 8
Race Start Times
Men's CC8k 9:30 AM CT
Women's CC5k 10:30 AM CT
NJCAA Cross Country Men's Championship Results
https://www.njcaa.org/sports/mxc/2025-26/div1/national_championship/index
NJCAA Cross Country Women's Championship Results
https://www.njcaa.org/sports/wxc/2025-26/div1/national_championship/index