EAST LANSING, Mich.  – Toledo swept the top three individual places and captured the team title at the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country Great Lakes Regional on Friday, securing an automatic berth in the NCAA Championships. It marks the first time in school history that the Rockets have won an NCAA Regional title. 

Akron’s Mercy Jebitok and Megan Hipple and Bowling Green’s Rachael Hoover also earned individual bids to the national championship meet.

The Rockets totaled 31 points, finishing well ahead of runner-up Notre Dame’s 60. Toledo placed all five scoring runners among the top 19 to lead a field that included Michigan, Indiana, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

Senior Karina James claimed the individual regional championship, completing the six-kilometer course in 19:55.2. Freshman Purity Chepkirui finished just one-tenth of a second behind in 19:55.3, while junior Dorcas Kiptanui crossed third in 19:57.7 to complete Toledo’s sweep.

Melody Jebiwot added a sixth-place finish in 20:12.8, giving the Rockets four of the race’s top six finishers. Toledo’s fifth scorer placed 19th to seal the team victory.

Akron’s Jebitok led the MAC’s individual qualifiers with a fourth-place finish in 20:01.1. Hipple followed in seventh at 20:16.9, giving the Zips two runners headed to the NCAA Championships.

Hoover finished ninth in 20:29.8 to earn her national championship berth and help Bowling Green place sixth in the team standings with 208 points. Western Michigan finished eighth with 273 points.

MAC runners claimed six of the top seven individual places and seven of the top nine in a standout regional performance for the conference.

The top two teams at each regional earn automatic bids to the NCAA Championships. The first four regional finishers who are not members of automatic qualifying or at-large teams also receive individual automatic berths.