CAA Set To Crown Men's And Women's Cross Country Champions On Friday

CAA Set To Crown Men's And Women's Cross Country Champions On Friday

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Rob Washburn

Live Results

RICHMOND, Va. (October 31, 2024) – The CAA Cross Country Championships return to Elon, N.C. for the first time since 2017 as 13 women’s teams and 11 men’s squads compete for titles on Friday, November 1. The men’s 8K race gets underway at 10 a.m., followed by the women’s 6K race at 11 a.m. on the Elon Cross Country Course. An awards presentation will take place Noon.

To stay up to date with what is happening at the CAA Cross Country Championships, be sure to follow the CAA on X (@CAASports), Instagram (@caasports), and join the conversation using the hashtag #CAAChamps. For live results, recaps and more, visit www.CAASports.com/XC.

Stony Brook, which is ranked No. 13 in the Northeast Region, is the two-time defending men’s champion and should be strong once again. Returning for the Seawolves are senior Steven Struk and sophomore Collin Gilstrap, who placed 8th and 9th respectively at last year’s championship and earned all-conference honors.

Northeastern has finished in the top two at the CAA Championship every year since 2013 but captured its lone conference title in 2020. The Huskies will try to add a second trophy behind senior Benjamin Godish, the 2023 individual champion and CAA Runner of the Year.  Senior Tyler Brogan placed 20th at last year’s event.

No school has had more success at the CAA Men’s Cross Country Championship than William & Mary, which won an incredible 20 conference titles from 2000-2019 and most recently finished first in 2021. Sophomore Hayes Trapp, senior Nate Jennings and sophomore Peyton Golden claimed the 13th to 15th spots a year ago to make the All-CAA team. W&M is No. 15 in the Southeast Region.

Monmouth, which is ranked No. 15 in the Mid-Atlantic Region, is coming off its best performance of the year at the Princeton Fall Classic. The Hawks are led by Declan McDonnell, who finished 13th at Princeton and placed 7th at last year’s CAA Championship to earn all-conference honors.

Running on its home course, Elon took the top spot at the Phoenix Invitational on Oct. 18. Evan Taylor, who was 18th at last year’s CAA Championship, earned the individual title at that event.

Individually, Hofstra junior Abraham Longosiwa could be a factor. He became the Pride’s first individual champion at the METS Championship in New Jersey on Oct. 12.

On the women’s side, Elon is seeking to capture its sixth consecutive CAA Championship, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since William & Mary won seven in a row from 2003-09. Leading the Phoenix, who are ranked No. 15 in the Southeast Region, are grad student Mikayla Jones, sophomore Hannah Weber and grad student Madison Synowiec, who placed 16th at last year’s CAA Championship.

Northeastern, which is ranked No. 6 in the Northeast Region, is looking to claim its first CAA title after three straight second-place finishes from 2020-22. Back for the Huskies are grad student Abigail Hassman, who was the 2023 CAA Athlete of the Year and individual winner at the 2023 championship, as well as grad student Azza Borovicka-Swanson, who placed 6th in last year’s event.
Stony Brook was the runner-up at the 2023 championship and is No. 15 in the Northeast Region. The Seawolves return three runners who placed in the top 15 at last year’s championship with senior Grace Weigele (2nd place), grad student Grace Sisson (14th place) and grad student Rebecca Clackett (15th place).

Willam & Mary, which is ranked No. 11 in the Southeast Region, leads all schools with 23 CAA titles in its history. The Tribe will attempt to add another trophy as it returns a pair of all-conference performers in junior Sofia Istnick (8th place) and senior Arianna DeBoer (9th place) along with senior Kyra Holland, who was W&M’s top finisher in its final two events.

Monmouth finished fifth at last year’s championship and is currently ranked No. 15 in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Sophomore Emily Simko earned All-CAA honors after placing 13th at last year’s championship, while senior Marisa Kilgarriff was 20th and grad student Allie Pierontoni was 21st.

Individually, Hampton freshman Peninah Mutisya has had an excellent year, highlighted by a first-place finish among a field of 203 runners at the Pirate Cross Country Invitational in Greenville, N.C.