The Stockton men's and women's cross country teams each used excellent performances by a combination of veterans and youngsters to yield one of the best seasons in program history. Each squad produced its best finish ever at the NCAA Regionals, with the women finishing third and the men placing eighth.
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Stockton Women's Cross Country finished second at the NJAC Championships, narrowly missing out on their bid to repeat as the conference champion. Stockton Men's Cross Country placed third at the NJAC Championships for its best finish in a full-field conference meet since 2012 (excluding Spring 2021 four-team race due to COVID).
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Stockton produced its first men's NCAA Championships qualifier since 2010 and first women's NCAA Championships qualifier since 2017. Six Ospreys, four females and two males, earned All-Region honors from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
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Women's Cross Country:
- Sophomore Jaelyn Barkley was the breakout star for Stockton, becoming the first Osprey woman since Alicia Belko in 2017 to earn a berth in the NCAA Championships. Barkley did so by finishing seventh at NCAA Regionals, the second-best finish ever by a Stockton female at regionals.
- Barkley also was the runner-up at the NJAC Championships. She collected USTFCCCA All-Region and NJAC First Team accolades as well as two NJAC Runner of the Week awards. Barkley was Stockton's top finisher at five of the team's six meets and second finisher once.
- Senior Jessie Klenk was the veteran leader of the young Osprey team. Klenk capped her career with another strong season in which she earned USTFCCCA All-Region and NJAC Second Team kudos. Klenk was one of Stockton's top three finishers at all six meets. She snagged her third all-conference and second all-region honors.
- Kayla Kass headlined an outstanding freshman class for Stockton. Kass was named NJAC Rookie of the Year after finishing fifth at the NJAC Championships. She also amassed USTFCCCA All-Region, NJAC First Team and four NJAC Rookie of the Week awards. Kass blossomed as the year progressed, ending the season as Stockton's second finisher at the last three meets.
- Freshman Guinevere Kennedy was another key newcomer as she qualified for USTFCCCA All-Region and NJAC Second Team spots. Kennedy was a scoring runner for Stockton at three meets.
- Freshmen Rachel Hayes and Olivia Horton also earned NJAC Second Team honors. Hayes scored at Stockton's final three meets while fellow rookie Madelyn Valasek was one of Stockton's five scoring runners twice.
- Sophomore Marlee Tharp and junior Kierstin Clem were returnees who contributed for the Ospreys, scoring at three and two races respectively.
Men's Cross Country:
- Senior Cooper Knorr returned after missing the 2021 season to lead the Ospreys and make history. Knorr became the first Stockton men's runner since Abad Akhtar in 2010 to qualify for the NCAA Championships, which he did by finishing 10th at NCAA Regionals.
- Knorr also was the runner-up at the NJAC Championships, and he claimed USTFCCCA All-Region and NJAC First Team recognition as well as one NJAC Runner of the Week award. Knorr was Stockton's top finisher at all six meets before placing 246th at the NCAA Championships.
- Sophomore Erik Ackerman was strong in a supporting role behind Knorr, qualifying for USTFCCCA All-Region and NJAC Second Team nods. Ackerman was Stockton's second finisher five times and third runner across the finish line once.
- Junior Brandon Shymanski made it a trio of Ospreys who scored at all six meets. Shymanski was Stockton's second finisher once, third scoring runner three times and fourth scorer twice. Fellow junior Sam Tenenbaum scored at five of six meets for the Ospreys, including two races in which he was the team's third finisher.
- Freshman Shane McDevitt came on strong in the second half of the season. McDevitt was a scoring runner at the last three meets, two of which were the NJAC Championships and NCAA Regionals. Fellow rookie Dalton Culleny also produced a solid freshman campaign as he too scored for the Ospreys at three meets.
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