On Saturday, UConn women’s cross country standout Chloe Thomas became just the sixth runner in program history to compete in the National Championship. Thomas, who competed in the 6K event, ran alongside 247 of the best runners in the country and finished 99th individually with a time of 20:47.7. At the top of the pack, Florida’s Parker Valby took first place individually with an NCAA record time of 18:55.2. At the same time, NC State repeated as national champions, skimming past No. 1 Northern Arizona by one point.
For Thomas specifically, she’s had an incredible to look back on. During her junior season, the two-time all-Big East selection posted a top-10 finish in all five races she competed in and recorded new personal bests in the 4K, 5K and 6K races. Her 6K time of 19:49.5 at the Arturo Barrios Invitational was a career-best. Thomas additionally led Connecticut to fourth place in the Big East championship and seventh in the NCAA Northeast Regional.