Garces Claims U20 Gold at USATF Cross Country Championships

Saturday, December 6

Portland, Ore.

5:50 p.m. (8K) / 6:30 p.m. (6K)

Duke University

USATF U20 Cross Country Championships

Duke's Victoria Garces wins the U20 women's 6K at the USATF Cross Country Championships

Photo by: Logan Hannigan-Downs & RunnerSpace

Garces Claims U20 Gold at USATF Cross Country Championships

12/6/2025 8:35:00 PM | Cross Country

PORTLAND, Ore. – Duke cross country freshman Victoria Garces is golden after capturing the U20 women's 6K crown at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Cross Country Championships Saturday evening.

Garces hit the tape in 21:07.0 to claim the win, with NC State's Daniela Scheffler (21:20.7) and Princeton's Caroline Barton (21:54.6) placing second and third, respectively, to round out the podium finishers. All three individuals will represent the United States at the 2026 World Cross Country Championships Jan. 10 in Tallahassee, Florida.

From the opening gun, Garces positioned herself at the front of the pack and never fell outside the top three. The Midland, Michigan product made her first move at the halfway point to shift into second, hitting the 3K marker at 10:26.2. She maintained her stride over the next two kilometers to remain within striking distance of Schaeffler, who held the lead for much of the race. Heading down the final stretch with the gold medal within reach, Garces refused to be denied, shifting gears once more to surge to victory.

Freshman Eli Fitchen-Young also represented the Blue Devils at the USATF Cross Country Championships, placing 12th in the U20 men's 8K with a time of 26:11.2.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils cross country and track & field, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeTFXC."

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