CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Laura Pellicoro finishes 41st at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, finishing the 6,000 meter distance in a time of 20:06.8. 

For much of the race, Pellicoro would begin her race positioned in 40th, setting herself up well to move well into the top-40 to secure her second All-American finish of her career. With the depth of the NCAA Championship field increasing every year, Pellicoro would find herself as far back as 51st going into the 5,000 meter split. Over the last kilometer, Pellicoro would pick off a total of 10 athletes to move into 41st. Pellicoro would unfortunately be the first athlete outside of the All-American positions, finishing just 0.1 seconds behind Izzy Thorton-Bott from University of Oregon, who took the last All-American position. Despite not earning All-American status, Pellicoro would finish ahead of several athletes with both domestic and international success at the collegiate and international levels, including Sophie O'Sullivan who represented Ireland at the 2023 IAAF World Championships, finishing in an NCAA No. 3 time of 4:02.15 in the 1,500 meter event. 

During the 2023 cross country season, Pellicoro would still lead her team to their first WCC title since 2016, earning herself All-WCC honors in the process. Additionally, Pellicoro would earn All-Region honors for her seventh place finish, qualifying her for the NCAA Championships. The experience and mileage that Pellicoro logged throughout the 2023 season will be invaluable for setting up the next steps of her career, including the indoor and outdoor track season later this year. 

The Pilots will begin preparations for the 2023-24 Indoor track season, starting in December. For more coverage and info, visit PortlandPilots.com.