SPARTANBURG, S.C. – A breakthrough season for Cornell sophomore Lidia Dahlman ended on the biggest stage Saturday at the NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country Championships.
 
A first-time qualifier, Dahlman placed 222nd out of 290 finishers at Milliken Research Park. She covered the 6K trail in 23:44.
 
The top-40 all-America cutoff was 22:02.
 
Dahlman was stuck toward the back of the pack early, although gradually improved her position throughout the race. She jumped to 249th at the 5K mark, and then passed 27 competitors over the final 1000 meters.
 
Dahlman became Cornell's first NCAA women's qualifier since MariKate Murphy in 2018. She claimed gold at the Midwest Conference Championships with a record time of 21:00.
 
Dahlman punched her ticket to nationals with a ninth-place showing at the Midwest Region Championships Nov. 15.
 
Dahlman guided coach Jerry Frawley's Rams to a successful fall campaign, highlighted by a runner-up MWC team finish and eighth-place effort at regionals. The Rams were ranked in the Midwest Region's Top 10 all season, climbing as high as sixth.  
 
Middlebury Audrey Maclean ran away with Saturday's national title in 20:16.8. Jules Bleskoski of RPI was runner-up in 21:05.