Preview: Women’s Cross Country Favored to Capture 17th NE10 Championship

Skyhawks aim to repeat last year's performance with seven All-Conference honors 

Northeast-10 Pre-Championship Coaches' Poll

Northeast-10 Championship Map


Cyr looks to collect her fourth All-Conference accolade in as many NE10 Championships

EASTON, Mass. (November 2, 2018) – The Stonehill College women's cross country team, ranked first in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) East Region Poll seeks its 17th Northeast-10 Conference Championship, and 10th-straight title, this Sunday, November 2 at Hopkinton State Fairgrounds in, hosted by Franklin Pierce University. The men's event will start at 11:00 a.m., while the women kick off at 12:15 p.m.

Stonehill was picked to finish first in the NE10 pre-championship coaches' poll with a total of 196 points. The Skyhawks, who have won the Championship for nine-straight years, received 14 first-place tallies. Merrimack College (182 points) was selected to finish second with one first-place vote, as Southern New Hampshire University (157 points), Saint Anselm College (143 points) and Assumption College (139 points) rounded out the top five teams.

In the fall of 2014, Stonehill surpassed Springfield College for the most women's cross country titles in the NE10 with 13. The Skyhawks have been a dominant force over the past 18 years, winning 16 of the 18 tries. In 2005 and 2008, Stonehill was not far behind as it posted runner-up finishes to UMass Lowell both times. 

This year, the women have won two out of the four meets that they have competed in, including the Kutztown Division II/III Challenge in Kutztown, Pennsylvania and the Sixth Annual Bruce Kirsh Cross Country Cup at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds in Hopkinton, New Hampshire.

Senior Makenzie Cyr will lead with experience as she has earned three NE10 All-Conference honors over her three years competed in the Championship. This season, she finished in the top-25 in all four races, including a fourth-place tally at the Division II/III Challenge.

Classmates Jillian Caiazzi and Isabel Baker will both be appearing in their third NE10 Championship. Caiazzi saw her best finish in her freshman year, finishing 24th overall, while Baker took home 25th her freshman year.

Junior Alyssa Freeman will be running with experience, as well, as she has competed in two Championships, earning her first All-Conference recognition last year with her 14th-place finish. The junior earned her best mark at the Division II/III Challenge, when she placed in the top-10, crossing the finish line eighth.


Lastra aims to earn her third NE10 All-Conference honor in as many years

Classmate Anna Lastra has collected two cross country All-Conference nods out of the two NE10 Championship races she has run in. Her best mark of 10th occurred her freshman year clocking in a time of 22:46.3. This season she crossed the finish line in the top-15 in two of the three races she has competed in.

Sophomore Sophia Anderle will be competing in her second NE10 Championships, as she previously was the first freshman across the line in last years' meet with a 12th-place finish, good for her first NE10 All-Conference honor. This year, she has placed in the top-20 of all four races, including a sixth-place finish at the Bruce Kirsh Cup in mid-October.

Classmate Sam Curtin took home 19th overall in her first NE10 Championship last year, clocking in a time of 22:47.17. This season, she finished in the top-15 at the Bruce Kirsh Cup and the Division II/III Challenge, where she saw her best mark of second and a time of 23:44.2.

Freshmen Rebecca Erhard, Claire Mason, and Siobhan O'Keefe will all be competing in their first NE10 Championship. Erhard was named NE10 Rookie of the Week in the first week of October when she assisted the Skyhawks to a fifth-place finish at the New England Championships at Franklin Park crossing the finish line 28th out of 168, with a time of 18:56.8.

Following this Sunday's NE10 Championship, the Skyhawks will be off for a week before attempting to win their 15th East Region Championship. The race takes place on Saturday, November 17th at Bethpage State Park in Bethpage, New York, hosted by Adelphi University.

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