WINGATE, N.C. | Six of the seven Georgia College & State University women's cross country runners set personal bests as the Bobcats finished in eighth place at the 2025 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championship hosted by Wingate University Saturday (Nov. 8) morning.

The Bobcats finished in eighth place out of 24 teams with 273 points. GCSU had its best team finish in the regional since they finished in seventh place in 2018. Wingate (29), Catawba College (45) and Flagler College (88) were the top three teams in the field and earned a trip to the national meet in two weeks.

Lorena Cazora, who was the only GCSU runner not to set a new personal best time, was the top Bobcat in the field of 174 competitors on the 6K course at the Wingate Cross Country Facility as she came in 36th place overall with a time of 23:41.1. Emma Shanklin was 43rd with a time of 23:50.8, while Abbie Brown was 63rd with a time of 24:18.4. Haven Bejnerowicz was close behind in 66th place with a time of 24:21.5, while Bella Russell was in 71st at 24:31.4. Emma Jow raced in a time of 24:50.5, good for 83rd place, while Maddie Reese Smith was 86th in a time of 24:54.9.

About GCSU Athletics 
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for four consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won five consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-time winners of the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in postseason competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports or subscribe to the GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics.