PORTLAND, Ore.—First year Villanova distance runner Maeve Smith (Ocean City, N.J.) put a cap on a terrific 2025 cross country season with a seventh place finish in the U20 Women's race at the USATF Cross Country Championships on Saturday afternoon. Smith posted a time of 22:52.8 over 6,000 meters at Glendoveer Golf Course and finished in the top 25 percent of the field of 28 runners.
 
Following a collegiate rookie season in which she was part of the Wildcats lineup at both the BIG EAST Championships and the NCAA Championships, Smith measured up against some of the top young distance runners in the country in Saturday's national championship race. It was the second race in three weeks for Smith, who last ran at the NCAA Championships in Columbia, Mo., on November 22.
 
Smith had five starts during the collegiate season, including her Villanova debut at the Main Line Invitational on September 19 before competing at the Paul Short Run and the Pre-National Invitational in Missouri in the leadup to postseason competition at the conference and national levels.
 
One of the keys to the Wildcats success this season was the emergence of a young group of distance runners who made an immediate impact in the team's lineup. Smith and classmate Cecilia Montagnese (Leetsdale, Pa.) each qualified for the U20 Women's race at the USATF meet, while Zoe Mosher (Pleasantville, N.S.) competed in the U20 race at the Athletics Canada Canadian Cross Country Championships last week.