WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University cross country team traveled to Bethlehem, Pa., to compete in the 2013 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Cross Country Regional today, hosted by Lehigh University. The women, tabbed fourth nationally by the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) took second place behind BIG EAST foe Villanova while the men finished third behind No. 20 Villanova and No. 15 Princeton. With a second-place finish, the women will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships while the men await an at-large bid.

"Our women ran a great team race today," Head Women's Cross Country Coach Michael Smith said. "There aren't many teams in the country who can say they have a 12-second spread across their five point scorers and I'm really proud of our team's performance today. We wanted to do just enough to qualify for the NCAA Championships and be well-rested for that event."

A typical cross country season has athletes competing every other week for recovery purposes. However, at the end of the season, the schedule forces runners to compete at the regional championship and just one week later compete at the NCAA national championships should the team qualify.