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16th year coach has now collected 13 Regional Coach of the Year Awards
EASTON, Mass. (November 12, 2013) – Stonehill College men's and women's cross country head coach Karen Boen has been named the Division II Cross Country East Region Coach of the Year for both sports by her peers, it was announced today by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
On Sunday, Boen’s men’s and women’s squads both captured the East Region titles held at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass., and hosted by Stonehill. The women’s team, ranked #22 nationally and #1 in the East Region, won with a dominant 57 point effort. The second place finisher, Bentley University, totaled 105 points. Senior captain Chelsea Bishop (Suffield, Conn./Suffield) was Stonehill’s top finisher for the fifth time this season, as she placed fourth overall in 22.23.2. Bishop was one of five Stonehill participants to earn All-Region honors for finishing in the top-25.
The men’s team won its first East Region title since 2007 with 78 points, 19 points better than second place Franklin Pierce University (97 points). Sophomore Robert Massey (Chelmsford, Mass.), was Stonehill’s top finisher, placing eighth after completing the 10-kilometer course in 32:04.8. Four members of the men’s team earned All-Region honors for their top-25 finishes.
Boen, now in her 16th season at the helm of the women's team and 12th season piloting the men's squad, is the most decorated coach in NE-10 cross country history with 16 Coach of the Year awards to her credit. She has won 11 Coach of the Year awards on the women's side and five as coach of the men's program. This year marks the third consecutive season that Boen has earned both awards, dating back to 2011.
On October 27th, Stonehill completed its third consecutive sweep at the NE-10 Championship, with both the men’s and women’s squads placing first among the fifteen NE-10 teams competing. The women have now won five conference championships in a row, while the men have won three consecutive titles.
2013 marks the first year in her illustrious career that Boen has collected both the Northeast-10 Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year awards in addition to the East Region Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year awards in a single season. In total, Boen has been honored 29 times in her Stonehill career as a Coach of the Year- 16 times by the Northeast-10, and 13 times by the USTFCCCA as a regional Coach of the Year.
The Stonehill men’s and women’s cross country teams will both be heading to Spokane, Washington later this month to compete in the NCAA DII National Championships. The women will be making their 14th consecutive appearance on the national stage, while the men have made it 11 straight seasons. For the second time in three years, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference will serve as host of the DII National Championship. The event will take place the weekend of November 21-23 at the Plantes Ferry Athletic Complex in Spokane, Washington.
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