Philadelphia Claims Third-Straight CACC Women's Cross Country Championship
OFFICIAL RESULTS
OFFICIAL PHOTO GALLERY OF 2016 CACC CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (October 23, 2016) -- The Philadelphia University women's cross country team kept adding championship hardware to the trophy case on Sunday, as four Rams finished among the top seven in the individual standings to pace the squad to a 40-point total and the 2016 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Women's Cross Country Championship at Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia, Pa. It was PhilaU's third-consecutive CACC crown and the program's eighth in the last nine years.
While PhilaU was claiming the team championship, Post University freshman Kendall Fitzgerald was turning in a dominant performance to win the individual title with a first-place time of 19:12.4 on the 5k course. By finishing first, Fitzgerald claimed both the CACC Runner and Rookie of the Year awards for being the highest finisher and first rookie runner to cross the finish line. She also earned All-CACC status for her impressive showing.
PhilaU's Stephanie Watson was the next runner to cross the finish line, as she placed second with a mark of 19:44.1. The other three Rams to finish among the top seven included Meghan Horan (4th, 20:14.3), Jessica Thies (6th, 20:26.4) and Victoria Frisbie (7th, 20:28.9).
Philadelphia's first-place total of 40 points was 40 better than second-place Georgian Court University, as the Lions notched a mark of 80. Three GCU harriers finished among the top 15 to earn All-CACC honors and included Jessica Handsaker (5th, 20:22.7), Caylin Montoya (9th, 20:35.0) and Hannah Vendetta (13th, 20:54.5).
The other runners to place among the top 15 to achieve all-conference status included Katerina Zachmann (3rd, Holy Family University), D'liyah Brown (8th, Bloomfield College), Victoria Thaler (10th, Caldwell University), Ariana Nash (12th, Nyack College), Ces Coleman (12th, Holy Family), Trisha Frazer (14th, Nyack) and Elizabeth Sauers (University of the Sciences).
The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference composed of 14 institutions in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The member institutions are Bloomfield College, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Concordia (N.Y.) College, Dominican (N.Y.) College, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Nyack College, Philadelphia University, Post University of Waterbury, University of the Sciences, and Wilmington University.