CAA Sports 2024-25 Year In Review: Fall Championships
Rob Washburn
With the 2024-25 season in CAA sports nearly complete, it’s time to take a look back at some of the highlights from another exciting year around the league.
We start with the Fall sports championships:
Women’s Cross Country
Northeastern captured its first-ever CAA Women’s Cross Country Championship, posting 44 points to get past William & Mary (54) and five-time defending champion Elon (63).
The Huskies placed three runners in the top nine, led by grad student Abigail Hassman, who became the first runner in conference history to earn three consecutive individual titles with a winning time of 20:08.1.
Men’s Cross County
In the closest finish in conference history, Stony Brook claimed its third straight CAA Men’s Cross Country Championship. The Seawolves finished with 48 points to edge Northeastern (49) by a single point.
Northeastern senior Benjamin Godish went back-to-back as the individual champion, recording a winning time of 24.11.40. Stony Brook placed three runners in the top eight, led by fourth-place Henry Gartner.
Women’s Soccer
Stony Brook jumped out to a two-goal advantage and held off Monmouth, 2-1, to win its first CAA Women’s Soccer Championship. The Seawolves got a goal from Luciana Setteducate in the 32
nd minute and added the eventual game-winner from Linn Beck in the 55
th minute. Monmouth, which out-shot SBU 28-10, cut the deficit in half on a Summer Reimet tally in the 79
th minute, but the Seawolves’ Nicolette Pasquarella made eight saves to secure the victory.
Field Hockey
Delaware edged Monmouth, 4-3 in overtime, to take home the CAA Field Hockey Championship for the 10
th time in the past 12 years. Lulu Fulton scored the game-winning goal in the 69
th minute, which was the only lead of the day for a Blue Hens’ squad that overcame one-goal deficits three times. Valentina Martorell contributed a pair of goals for Delaware, including one in the 44th minute that forced overtime. Sofia Fouces put the Hawks up 3-2 with a 38th-minute goal.
Men’s Soccer
Hofstra took advantage of an own goal in the 81
st minute to earn its fourth consecutive CAA Men’s Soccer Championship with a 1-0 triumph over UNCW. The Pride defense limited the Seahawks to five shots, with only two of them on goal, as they recorded their 10
th shutout of the year. On the game’s only score, a long ball from Hofstra’s Pierce Infuso was headed into the goal. It the only ball to get past Seahawks’ goalie Trey Smiley, who was sensational with a career-high seven saves.
Volleyball
Charleston battled past Delaware, 3-2, to capture the CAA Volleyball Championship for the second time, and first since 2013. Emily Banitt made a team-high 20 kills for the Cougars and Hannah Scott dished out 42 assists. In a tightly contest match, the teams traded set wins until Charleston caught fire in the fifth, grabbing a 15-3 victory for the title. Kirah Johnson paced Delaware’s offense with 21 kills.
CAA Football
Rhode Island and Richmond shared the CAA Football championship during a competitive season. The Rams claimed a share of the conference title for the first time since 1985 after setting a program record with 10 regular-season wins, while the Spiders became the first undefeated CAA champion in a full season since 2019. Rhode Island and Richmond were joined by New Hampshire and Villanova in the FCS playoffs, giving the CAA four teams in the field for the second year in a row.