SPARTANBURG, S.C. —
In her fourth, and final, appearance at the NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country National Championship,
Claire Semerod (Centennial, Colo.) closed the book on an exemplary collegiate cross country career by finishing 28th.
Alongside last season's photo-finish for 40th place, which is the last spot for All-American status at the yearly championship meet, Semerod is just the third cadet-athlete in program history to earn the distinction multiple times, joining program legends
Gretchen Wagner '96 (1994-95) and
Kaitlyn Mooney '21 (2017-19) in that regard.
The weather was unseasonably warm and humid at Milliken Research Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina, for race day. Semerod started out within the lead pack of around 25 runners following the top handful of women. She stayed between 15th and 20th place throughout the run until the final 400-meter sprint, where she couldn't quite match the pace of some of her competitors before finishing the course in 21:41.
"Claire ran a gutsy race and should be very happy with her performance, not just today but throughout her entire season," says head coach
Greg Ahnrud. At last season's race, Semerod was made over 100 passes and barely snuck in for the final All-American spot. "She didn't want to leave anything to chance and was out strong with the lead group, holding tough the whole way."
Semerod will go down in program history as one of the most successful runners on either side of the team. Her personal best 6k time of 21:09 at the Connecticut College Invitational this past October is the third-fastest in CGA history, while her four-time national qualifier status puts her in a club with Wagner and
Tammy Wilcox '97 as the only Bears to do so.
"Claire has been the key to the success of the women's team over the last four seasons," says Ahnrud. "When she made the national meet as a freshman, it opened the rest of the team's eyes to what they were all capable of. It was a huge turning point in the trajectory of the program."
Semerod now turns her focus to her final indoor track & field season, of which she's primed to be a major leader for CGA's distance once again.
