On Nov. 3, the Northern Kentucky University men’s and women’s cross country teams competed at the NCAA Regionals in Kenosha, Wis.

The women’s team placed 12 out of 20, the highest a NKU team has placed at Regionals. The men, in the Great Lakes Region, placed 16 out of 20.

Elaine Koenig, in her second year with the women’s team, broke the 6000-meter school record at Regionals.

The previous record, set by Tabatha Smith in 1999, was a time of 23:37.4 and Koenig broke it with a time of 23:35.

Koenig said she was excited about the achievement because she worked hard all summer and season.

She said she was happy to finish the season with a good race.

The race was emotional for brothers Brian Alessandro and Kevin Alessandro, both seniors on the team, because it was their last race with the NKU team.

Brian Alessandro, speech communication major, said, “I am glad I was able to finish my running career with such a good group of teammates and coaches.”

He added, ” I will certainly miss the competition and the experiences that have helped me grow the last few years.” Kevin Alessandro, speech communication major, said, ” It was really emotional to end my collegiate career but I have had a lot of fun and made a lot of really good friends.”

Each of the teams sent eight runners, one being an alternate, to the race. The runners were selected based on how they had performed during the season.