Philadelphia University Claims 2014 CACC Women's Cross Country Championship; Rams' Emilie Barton Crowned Individual Champion
WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS
WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
PHOTO GALLERY FROM 2014 CACC WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP
WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS PHOTO GALLERY
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (November 2, 2014) -- On the strength of four runners finishing among the top-eight in the individual standings Sunday, the Philadelphia University women's cross country team claimed the 2014 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Women's Cross Country Championship at Belmont Plateau, hosted by Philadelphia U. It marked the program's sixth conference title in the last seven seasons dating back to 2008.
The Rams finished with a low score of 29 points to win the conference crown. Nyack College, who entered as the defending CACC champions from a year ago, finished second with 69 points. Georgian Court University (3rd, 99 points), Bloomfield College (4th, 121 points), Wilmington University (5th, 123 points), University of the Sciences (6th, 135 points), Felician College (7th, 178 points), Caldwell University (8th, 223 points), Goldey-Beacom College (9th, 249 points), Chestnut Hill College (10th, 282 points), Holy Family University (11th, 292 points), Post University (12th, 339 points), Dominican College (13th, 353 points), and Concordia College (14th, 384 points) rounded out the team standings.
Philadelphia's title was aided by the fantastic running of junior Emilie Barton, who won the individual championship and was crowned CACC Runner of the Year by placing first with a time of 19:55 in the 5k event. Her mark was the only sub-20 minute time in the field, as all competitors on Sunday faced windy conditions with the goal of crossing the finish line. Barton became the first Ram to win the individual championship since Sarah Simonetti won back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011.
Senior Taylor Falvey was next in line for PhilaU to cross the final threshold, as she placed third with a time of 20:17. Junior Alyssa Litty and sophomore Jessica Thies followed in sixth (20:38) and eighth (20:42), respectively. Sophomore Victoria Frisbie was the fifth Ram to count towards the team total, as she turned in an 11th-place performance with a mark of 20:50.
All five runners listed above earned All-CACC honors by finishing among the top-15 competitors in the race.
Another student-athlete to earn All-CACC recognition was Georgian Court University freshman standout Jessica Handsaker, who placed second overall in a time of 20:07, and was also crowned the 2014 CACC Women's Cross Country Rookie of the Year for being the highest rookie finisher in the race.
Several student-athletes were honored on the day for their heroics not just on the race course, but also in the classroom and through their dedication to fair play. Bloomfield was honored with the 2014 CACC Women's Cross Country Anne Jackson Memorial Team Sportsmanship Award for demonstrating the values that make NCAA Division II athletics so special. Concordia senior runner Alyssa Dawson won the CACC Top XV Award for having the highest cumulative grade point average of any female runner at the championship with a mark of 3.97. Another special recognition during the day was the honoring of Nyack's Sara-Caitrin Mandelburg for being named the CACC Student-Athlete of the Month for September. She earned the honor for her exemplary work on the course, in the classroom, and her amazing compassion in the community by helping to build homes for the less fortunate in Mexico and throughout New England.
Bloomfield head coach Elson Smajlaj was recognized as the 2014 CACC BSN Sports Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year.
The student-athletes who earned All-CACC status for their top-15 finishes included:
1 Emilie Barton, Philadelphia U., 19:55
2 Jessica Handsaker, Georgian Court, 20:07
3 Taylor Falvey, Philadelphia U., 20:17
4 Megan Ferrick, Wilmington, 20:19
5 Brianna Ligotski, USciences, 20:36
6 Alyssa Litty, Philadelphia U., 20:38
7 Ariana Nash, Nyack, 20:38
8 Jessica Thies, Philadelphia U., 20:42
9 Isalin Howard, Georgian Court, 20:45
10 Sarabeth Oppermann, Wilmington, 20:49
11 Victoria Frisbie, Philadelphia U., 20:50
12 Jeanette Halliburton, Wilmington, 20:50
13 Kassie Topp, Felician, 20:51
14 Sara-Caitrin Mandelburg, Nyack, 20:52
15 Trisha Frazer, Nyack, 20:53