Skyhawks looking for eighth title in nine years
NCAA Division II East Regional Information
Knox |
EASTON, Mass. (November 2, 2017) – The Stonehill College women's cross country team, ranked 25th in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II poll, and ranked first in the East Region, will attempt to capture its eighth East Regional Championship in nine years and guarantee its 18th-straight trip to the NCAA Division II Championships this Saturday at the Audubon Golf Course in Amherst, New York. The women's six-kilometer race will begin at 11:00 a.m., while the men's squad will compete in the 10-kilometer race at 12:15 p.m.
Stonehill won the Northeast-10 Championship two weekends ago in Westfield, Massachusetts, in dominating fashion, placing seven runners in the top 21 overall, and finishing ahead of the runners-up by a mere two points. Seven Stonehill athletes earned All-Conference accolades, senior Emily Knox (Worcester, Massachusetts/Notre Dame Academy) was named Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year, and freshman Sam Curtin (Plymouth, Massachusetts/Plymouth North) was tabbed as the NE10 Rookie of the Year. Head coach Karen Boen won her 51st and 52nd Coach of the Year Award by winning the men's and women's title.
Senior co-captain Knox, a three-time All-Northeast-10 honoree, is coming off a career-best first-place finish at the NE10 Championships. She captured the program's third-straight individual title, which Nicole Borofski '17 won back-to-back years previously. This was the fourth time in conference history that a school has won individual titles three-straight years, with Springfield leading the way with six-straight individual titles spanning from 1987-92. The Worcester, Massachusetts native also finished as the runner up at the Division II/III Challenge earlier this year. Knox will be competing in her third regional championship this year.
Classmate and co-captain Abby Hersom (Rockland, Maine/Oceanside) runs in her first NCAA competition, as she finished a career-best ninth at the NE10 Championship this season. She also finished in 15th place back-to-back at the Division II/III Challenge and the Codfish Bowl.
|
|
Junior Makenzie Cyr (Douglas, Massachusetts/Douglas), who will be appearing in her third regional championship as well, crossed the finish line as the second Skyhawk at the NE10 Championship. She captured third place for her third-career All-Conference honor. Previously this season, she finished 32nd at the New England Championship and sixth at the Division II/III Challenge.
Sophomore Anna Lastra (Bridgton, Maine/Fryeburg Academy) will compete in her second regional championship, as she placed 13th last year. This season she placed 21st at the NE10 Championship and fifth at the Codfish Bowl. Classmate Alyssa Freeman (Billerica, Massachusetts/Billerica Memorial) earned her spot on the line with her 14th-place mark at the NE10 Championship for her first NE10 All-Conference honor. This season, she also placed fourth at the Shacklette Invitational and 18th at the Division II/III Challenge.
Curtin, who will be competing in her first regional championship this weekend finished 19th at the NE10 Championships two weekends ago, and has posted three other top-20 marks this season. Classmate Sophia Anderle (Peabody, Massachusetts/Peabody Veterans Memorial) also impressed this season with a 12th-place finish at the NE10 Championship, as the first freshman across the finish line. She also collected three top-30 marks this season, including a 10th-place tally at the Shacklette Invitational.
With a top-3 finish on Saturday, Stonehill would advance to its 17th consecutive NCAA Division II National Championship. The event will take place in Evansville, Indiana, hosted by the University of Southern Indiana, on Saturday, November 18.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
