UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.—It was another dominant team effort for Villanova on Friday afternoon at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, where sophomore Rachel McArthur (Bristow, Va.) was the individual region champion and paced the Wildcats to the team title and an automatic bid to nationals next week.  McArthur crossed the finish line of the 6000 meter race in 21:03 and won by a six second margin.  Less than a minute separated the seven Villanova runners at the finish line, and the Wildcats are now headed to the NCAA Championships for the fourth straight year and the 30^th time overall. 
 
This is Villanova's first team title since 2013 at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, while McArthur tallied the Wildcats eighth individual title at the meet in the last 11 years.  Villanova had each of its top six runners earn all-region accolades for placing in the top 25 overall, marking the second straight year and fourth time ever that at least six Wildcats have garnered all-region recognition. 
 
McArthur, fifth-year senior Caroline Alcorta (Springfield, Va.) and senior Nicole Hutchinson (West Vancouver, B.C.) were at the front of a tight pack after two miles, and all three wound up finishing in the top five overall just as they had at the BIG EAST Championships two weeks ago.  Alcorta came in third in Friday's race with a time of 21:12, while Hutchinson was fifth in 21:20.  This is the second straight year that McArthur and Hutchinson have been Mid-Atlantic All-Region selections, while Alcorta was previously a two-time All-Southeast Region performer at North Carolina. 
 
The enviable depth of the Villanova lineup was on full display in Friday's regional race.  Freshmen Lydia Olivere (Wilmington, Del.) and Taryn O'Neill (Lake Country, B.C.) were the Wildcats other scoring runners and came in ninth and 15^th, respectively.  Olivere crossed the finish line in 21:25 and O'Neill was close behind in 21:34 to give Villanova a spread of just 31 seconds between their five scorers.  Freshman Reilly Siebert (Syosset, N.Y.) also earned all-region accolades.  She came in 24^th overall and recorded a time of 21:46.  Junior Ann Campbell (Mission Hills, Kan.) posted a time of 21:59 and placed 34^th. 
 
More than half of the teams in the field (17 of 30) did not have a single runner across the finish line before all seven Wildcats had crossed the line.  Villanova has won 15 team titles and produced 23 individual champions at regionals over the years, first at the NCAA District II Championships (1982-99) and more recently at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional.  Since the current regional format was put into place in 2000, the Wildcats have had 78 all-region performers.  Villanova head coach Gina Procaccio is now a seven-time Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year, including five times during the cross country season. 
 
Now come the NCAA Championships, which will be held in Madison, Wis. next weekend.  The meet has become nearly synonymous with the legendary success of the Wildcats program.  Villanova has won a record nine national titles in its history, four more than any other women's cross country program.  This is the 30^th time that the Wildcats are headed to the national championships.  They are one of eight women's programs who have made at least 30 NCAA appearances.