TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Bridgewater State University junior Naomi Cass (Westport, Mass.) finished 115th at the NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country Championships.

Cass completed the 6-kilometer race in 22:27 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center Saturday morning.

Making her second straight appearance in the NCAA race, Cass improved from her 149th-place finish out of 293 runners in Newville, Pa., a year ago.

A two-time Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Runner of the Year, Cass was again part of a field of 293 runners in this year's event.

Cass finished the first kilometer in 3:17.9 and ran three kilometers in 10:46.7 and was at 18:39.9 through five kilometers.

Cass qualified for the NCAAs by placing sixth at the East Region race last Saturday in New Hampshire with a personal-best time of 22:05.8.

She is the only BSU women's runner to race in back-to-back NCAA Championships.

Cass became the first from the program to qualify for the NCAAs last season since BSU Athletics Hall of Famer Molly Rouillard in 2012.

MIT was on the team championship followed by the University of Chicago and Williams College.

The individual winner was Faith Duncan of Wilmington College in Ohio with a time of 20:16.5.

The first New England runner across the finish line was Audrey MacLean of Middlebury in 21:10.8 for sixth place.

A two-time All-East Region runner and a 10-time MASCAC Runner of the Week in her career, Cass won the conference championship by nearly 25 seconds this season.

Cass and the Bears will begin the indoor track & field season at the Northeastern University Invitational on Dec. 8 at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center in Boston.

Release courtesy of Bridgewater State Sports Information