Allison Kuzma continues to prove herself as one of the best women's cross country runners in NCAA Division II. 

All that remains for the Hillsdale sophomore is to perform on the national stage.

Kuzma continued a banner season with a great race at the NCAA DII Midwest Regional on Saturday at the Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course in Kenosha, Wisconsin, taking runner-up honors in a star-studded field to add to her G-MAC Championship from earlier in 2025. The sophomore finished the 6K in 20:42.02, and was only bested by the defending NCAA DII national champion, Lauren Kiley of Grand Valley State, who finished four seconds ahead of Kuzma in a sprint to the finish line.

The result guarantees Kuzma her first trip to the NCAA DII Women's Cross Country championships, set to take place back in Kenosha on Nov. 22. There, Kuzma will face off again against Kiley, looking to contend for the individual national title and add another All-American honor to the one she received in the outdoor 10,000m run as a freshman in May of 2025.

 As a team, Hillsdale finished a promising 11th, with a lineup that included no seniors and three freshmen in the top five. Junior Eleanor Clark just missed All-Region honors with a 30th place finish, crossing the line in 22:00.8, and Grace Tykocki led a parade of first-year runners for the Chargers by placing 90th in a personal best time of 23:09.2. Fellow freshmen Caroline Roberts and Mavis Banks placed 95th (23:15.6) and 127th (23:49.9) respectively, both in personal best times, for Hillsdale to round out the Chargers' scoring runners, while sophomore Victoria Stonebraker placed 144th (24:18.6) and junior Anna Roberts took 161st (25:03.2).

With potentially all seven runners returning next season, and the possibility of a healthy return for junior Savannah Fraley, a two-time All-G-MAC honoree who battled injuries in 2025, the future looks bright for the Chargers. First, however, Kuzma will take aim at national honors in two weeks.