Bethlehem, PA – UMBC's top seven scorers delivered electrifying career-best 6K performances, propelling the Retrievers to a strong 20th-place finish among 28 squads at the thrilling 2026 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Cross Country Championships, held Friday morning at Lehigh University's Goodman Campus Cross Country Course.

2026 First Team All-America East honoree Lyna Beraich surged past seven competitors over the final kilometer, finishing 79th out of 203 in a thrilling display of determination. The redshirt senior, fresh off a fifth-place conference finish, smashed her personal record with an impressive 21:27.0.

Sophomore Lilly Norcross, a Second Team All-America East standout, blazed to a new personal best of 21:45.5. Hot on her heels, Katelyn Deal powered through the finish just eight seconds later, clocking a career-best 21:53.1 to secure 116th.

Junior Katie Schwaner (22:00.3, 126th), sophomore Maddie Wassin (22:11.3, 134th), and freshman Alyssa Mattes (22:14.1, 138th) formed a relentless pack.

Sophomore Micah Haskins capped off UMBC's scoring with a gutsy effort, crossing the line in 183rd place (23:17.8) to help solidify the team's overall performance.

West Virginia had the top-four finishers in the meet and won the event with 19 points. Joy Naukot was the overall champion with a time of 19:19.1.