CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Senior Grace Galligan extended her final season as a Lady Baron as she qualified for the NCAA National Championship meet and led the Franciscan women's cross country team to a program-best 16^th place finish at the 2018 Mideast Regional Championship, Saturday morning.

Galligan, the AMCC Runner of the Year, finished sixth overall to qualify for the national meet and earn her second-straight all-region honor. The Springfield, PA native stayed on pace with the top seven runners most of the race as just 26 seconds separated the first and seventh place finisher. Galligan crossed the finish line sixth overall with a time of 22:52, just 20 seconds off of the top runner from Johns Hopkins. Galligan will now continue her season at the NCAA National Championship for the first time in her career. Galligan is just the second Lady Baron to compete at the national level for the cross country team.

Joining Galligan with all-region honors was freshman Mary Jo Schirger. Schirger took 29^th overall as she cross the finish line at 23:52.6. Schirger moved up nine places from her two-mile place as she was 38^th just over midway through the race.

Freshman Alison Bryant brought home 65^th overall as she clocked a time of 24:43 in her first regional meet of her career. Sophomore Grace Scrocca came in 157^th overall with a time of 26:16 while junior Carolyn Poston took 168^th overall with a time of 26:28 to round out the scoring runners for the Lady Barons.

Freshman Elizabeth Atkins took 185^th overall for the Lady Barons as she finished with a time of 26:53 and sophomore was the seventh Lady Baron across the line and 200^th overall with a time of 27:12.

Galligan will now head to Oshkosh, Wisc. to compete against the top runners in the national at the NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 17.
 
Photos from the Mideast Regional, hosted by DeSales, can be purchased through the Mideast Regional Smugmug.