Skyhawks looking for eighth title in 10 years
NCAA Division II Cross Country East Region Championship Central
Lastra is the fifth individual NE10 champion from Stonehill in program history |
EASTON, Massachusetts (November 16, 2018) - The Stonehill College women's cross country team, ranked No. 1 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association East Regional Rankings (USTFCCCA), will attempt to capture its ninth NCAA Division II East Regional Championship in 10 years and guarantee its 19th-straight trip to the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships this Saturday at Bethpage State Park in Bethpage, New York. The men's 10-kilometer race will begin at noon, while the women's squad will kick off at 1:15 p.m.
Stonehill won the Northeast-10 Conference Championship two weekends ago in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, in dominating fashion, placing five in the top 10 and seeing nine earn All-Conference honors. Junior Anna Lastra led the way with the individual title, the first in her career, but the Skyhawks fourth-straight individual champion as Emily Knox '18 won it once and Nicole Borofski '17 won it twice. Lastra was also tabbed NE10 Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year also for the fourth-straight Stonehill honor. Freshman Rebecca Erhard was named NE10 Women's Cross Country Rookie of the Year after her performance this year, including her 15th-place finish at the NE10 Championship. Erhard is also Stonehill's fourth-straight Women's Rookie of the Year, and 10th in program history. Lastra will be toeing the line at her third East Regional Championship, while Erhard will be competing in her first.
Along with Lastra and Erhard, sophomore Sam Curtin will be competing in her second East Regional Championship, as she earned her first NCAA Division II All-East Region honor with a seventh-place finish. Curtin took home the runner-up mark behind Lastra at the NE10 Championships.Senior Makenzie Cyr will show some experience for the Skyhawks as she will be running in her fourth East Regional Championship, with her best mark coming during her junior year with a sixth-place finish. At the NE10 Championship, she earned her fourth All-Conference honor with a third-place finish.
Erhard was named NE10 Women's Rookie of the Year after a 15th-place finish at the NE10 Championships |
Junior Alyssa Freeman collected her second All-Conference honor at the Championship, taking home ninth place. Freeman will be running in her second East Regional Championship where she placed 12th last year for her first NCAA Division II All-East Region Team accolade.
Jordan Callahan also saw a personal best time at the NE10 Championships, where she placed 16th with a time of 22:38.0, earning her second-career All-Conference honor. The junior will run in her first East Regional Championship. Along with Callahan, freshman Siobhan O'Keefe will also be running in her first NCAA Championship. She earned her first-career All-Conference honor as she finished 20th with a personal best time at the NE10 Championship, her third top-20 finish this season.
With a top-three finish on Saturday, Stonehill would advance to its 18th consecutive NCAA Division II Cross Country Championship. The event will take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival.
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