CEDARVILLE, Ohio – George Mason's Ella Semple delivered a stellar performance on Saturday morning, capturing first place in the Women's 6K at the 2025 Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championships, held at the Elvin R. King Cross Country Course in Cedarville, Ohio. Semple finished with a time of 20:26.5. The annual championship event was hosted by the University of Dayton.
Semple outpaced a talented conference field to earn the Atlantic 10 individual title, marking a defining moment in her George Mason career. Her victory demonstrated a season filled with consistency and leadership at the front of the pack.
Associate Head Coach Tony Mihalich was elated with Semple's historic performance. "First off, we could not be more excited and proud for Ella's victory!" Mihalich said. "The Atlantic 10 is such a great conference in women's distance running, so etching her name at the top for 2025 is a tremendous accomplishment. Although I'm not surprised. She's been poised and ready to execute, and Goode [the defending champion] and [Loyola's] Treacy were great competitors, but her respect for them and her preparation only fueled it."
Semple becomes the third George Mason women's cross country runner to win the A-10 Championship in program history. Bethany Sachtleben claimed the title in the Patriots first A-10 Championship in 2013, while Annabelle Eastman won in 2021.
Looking at the team's performance, Mihalich reflected on the competitiveness of the conference. "The rest of the league was lethal this year, and dead even. In one scenario, we could have raced well, and still come in 9th or 10th. GW, Richmond, Davidson have been dealing. So sixth as a team is actually in the middle of what we could have expected… so I'll take it," he said. "I think the middle of the squad might have hoped for a bit higher, but I do think they competed. On another day, in another universe, we finish higher but competing hard is all I can really ask for, so that's its own victory. Competing hard is a habit, and I know that will pay off in the future."
Behind Semple's first-place finish and receiving the Atlantic 10's Women Outstanding Performer, the George Mason women's team secured a sixth-place finish in the overall team standings, a strong effort against one of the most competitive fields in the conference.
With the conference season complete, the Patriots now turn their attention to the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships, where Semple and her teammates will aim to continue their strong postseason form.
