Women's Cross Country

Colby-Sawyer Sweeps GNAC Cross Country Championships

Colby-Sawyer Sweeps GNAC Cross Country Championships
Posted: Nov 02, 2019

STANDISH, Maine – Colby-Sawyer College claimed a pair of Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) titles on Saturday, as the Chargers' men's and women's teams earned 2019 GNAC Cross Country Championships with 56 and 44 points, respectively, at Saint Joseph's College on Saturday afternoon.

In the first-ever 6K GNAC Championship, Colby-Sawyer placed four runners in the top 11 overall, including freshmen Shannon O'Connell and Zoe Utton, who finished second and third with 23:58 and 24:12 efforts, and senior Alison Fairbairn, who raced to an eighth-place finish with a 25:11 time.

Suffolk University senior Emily Manfra claimed GNAC Runner of the Year honors after pacing the field with a 23:11 time and O'Connell was the runner-up – and GNAC Rookie of the Year as the top-finishing first-year competitor – with a 23:58 performance.

Suffolk finished second with 62 points, Saint Joseph's was third with 104 points, Regis College placed fourth with 117 points, and Emmanuel College rounded out the top five teams with 120 points.

Norwich University (131 pts), Simmons University (147), Johnson & Wales University (234), Rivier University (237), and University of Saint Joseph (286) also competed in the 2019 GNAC Championship.

For Saint Joseph's, freshman Camilla Grosso (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) placed 15th (25:50), first-year Kelsey Kennedy (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) finished 18th (26:04), sophomore Lauren Fisher (Hampton Falls, N.H.) was 19th (26:09), sophomore Julia Heroux (Albion, R.I.) placed 25th (26:57), and senior Marisa Quirion (Gardiner, Maine) raced to a 27th-place finish (27:04).

 

FIRST TEAM ALL-GNAC (top seven finishers):

Emily Manfra, Suffolk
Shannon O'Connell, Colby-Sawyer
Zoe Utton, Colby-Sawyer
Magdalene Mann, Regis
Samantha Molinari, Rivier
Alice Najimy, Simmons
Remi Parker, Norwich

SECOND TEAM ALL-GNAC (8th – 14th place finishers):

Alison Fairbairn, Colby-Sawyer
Molly Winship, Emmanuel
Marin Stamer, Suffolk
Emily Carrigan, Colby-Sawyer
Maddie Boucias, Regis
Skyler Spanbauer, Suffolk
Hannah Fitzpatrick, Emmanuel

MAJOR AWARDS:

TEAM CHAMPION: Colby-Sawyer College (44 pts)

RUNNER-UP: Suffolk University (62 pts)

GNAC RUNNER OF THE YEAR: Emily Manfra (Suffolk), 23:11

GNAC ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Shannon O'Connell (Colby-Sawyer), 23:58 (2nd)

GNAC COACH OF THE YEAR: TBD

GNAC SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM: TBD

 

GNAC ALL SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM:

Abbie Castriotta, Colby-Sawyer
Tierney Bisillion, Emmanuel
Samantha Passetto, Johnson & Wales
Amanda Miller, Lasell
Belle Magna, Norwich
Maggie Mann, Regis
Samantha Hilsman, Rivier
Emily Wassick, U. of Saint Joseph
Liz Cummons, Saint Joseph's
Gabby Freeman, Simmons
Liv Chilcott, Suffolk

 

#GOMONKS

 

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Founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy in Portland, Maine, Saint Joseph’s College is Maine’s Catholic liberal arts college in the Mercy tradition. We are inclusive of all faiths, including no faith. The 474-acre campus, located on the shore of Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine offers more than 40 undergraduate programs and a Division III athletic program to a population of approximately 1,000 on-campus students. A pioneer of distance education since the 1970s, the College also provides online certificates and undergraduate and graduate degrees for thousands more working adults who reside in more than 20 other countries. In 2015 the College was selected by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to receive its Community Engagement Classification, highlighting the College’s focus on community service throughout its mission and daily interactions within local, regional, and global communities. In 2018, Princeton Review recognized SJC as one of its “Green Colleges” for its sustainability initiatives. Learn more at www.sjcme.edu.

 

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