BOSTON, Mass. – It was an outstanding effort on Sunday as the Mount Holyoke College cross country team raced to a sixth-place finish at the 2015 NEWMAC Championship, hosted by Wellesley College at Franklin Park. The Lyons posted a total of 166 points, edging out Coast Guard, while finishing just behind Wheaton.
Winning this year's title was MIT, who saw each of their seven team competitors finish in the top 17, compiling 19 points overall. Wellesley was second (37), followed by WPI (117), Smith (149), Wheaton (152) and MHC (166).
Sophomore Sunny Shan (Cupertino, Calif./Monta Vista) paced the Mount Holyoke effort on Sunday, finishing 13th overall in a time of 19:05. For her efforts, Shan was named to the NEWMAC All-Conference Team. It marks the second major honor of the season for Shan, who was a Seven Sisters All-Championship selection on October 18th.
Senior Elizabeth DeLeon (Boise, Idaho/Timberline) also had a strong finish, crossing the line in a time of 19:31, which was good for 23rd overall. Sophomore Mia Barnes (Thornville, Ohio/Monteverde Friends School) ran to 44th on the afternoon, posting a time of 20:06, while classmate Hannah Gershone (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) powered her way to 54th in a time of 20:20.
Junior Brianna Weir (Rome, N.Y./Rome Free Academy) was 68th with a time of 20:47, while sophomore Kelly Stevens (Southboro, Mass./Worcester Academy) finished just behind in 70th, crossing the line in a time of 20:56.
Rounding out the team placings was first year Corrin Moss (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus Alternative HS) who was 87th on the day with a time of 21:22. Other solid finishes for the Lyons included sophomores Julia Criscione (Bernardsville, N.J./Villa Walsh Academy) and Gargi Mishra (Maharashtra, India/The Bishop's School) , who places 115th (22:49) and 117th (22:51), respectively.
First year Nora Taupier (Holyoke, Mass./Holyoke), sophomore Caroline Black (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill Bishop Ludden) and first year Victoria Parrish (Pleasantville, N.Y./Buram Hills) also finished strong, placing 140th (24:39), 141st (24:41) and 142nd (24:49).
This year's individual championship was won by MIT junior Maryann Gong, who posted a time of 18:04 to beat out Wellesley's Priyanka Fouda's time of 18:29.
Mount Holyoke returns to action in two weeks when it competes at the 2015 NCAA New England Regional Championships, hosted by Connecticut College at Harkness Park in New London, Conn.
