MORRISVILLE, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly women's cross country team placed fourth at the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Championship this weekend with a total of 105 points. The Wildcat's top five runners placed 10th, 13th, 15th, 18th, and 49th. The Wildcats had four runners make the NEAC's three All-Conference Team, the most in the history of the program.
Rebecca LaPorte (New Hartford, N.Y.) was the top finisher for the Wildcats in the race. The senior finished the 6K race with a time of 27:14.9. Jalize Mejia-Perez (Bronx, N.Y.) was the second Wildcat to cross the line. She finished in 13th place with a time of 28:03.7. Kiersten Albertson (Kirkville, N.Y.) crossed the line in 28:22.0 for a 15th place finish. Kassidy Eng (Staten Island, N.Y.) rounded out the Wildcats top-20 finishers, placing 19th with a time of 28:39.6. Caley Grasso (Rensselaer, N.Y.) was the Wildcats fifth placing runner with a time of 32:32.4. She finished in 49th place.
For their efforts, Rebecca LaPorte and Jalize Mejia-Perez earned NEAC Second Team All-Conference honors. Kiersten Albertson and Kassidy Eng were named to the NEAC All-Conference Third Team.
The overall winner of the race and NEAC Runner of the Year was Michelle Kiss, a sophomore from Penn State Berks. Her time of 24:55.3 was nearly 45 seconds better than the second place runner. The NEAC Rookie of the Year was Lancaster Bible's Sami Stoner who finished in second place. Penn State Berks Head Coach Katie Scheetz-Jones was voted the NEAC Women's Corss Country Coach of the Year.
Up Next:
The Wildcats will run in the NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional race which is scheduled for Saturday, November 11th at 11:00 AM. The race will be hosted by Houghton College at the Field of Dreams Cross Country Course in Houghton N.Y.