Boston, Mass. - November 3, 2019 - The Mount Holyoke College cross country team placed second overall at the 2019 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championships, hosted at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass. on Sunday afternoon. The Lyons' second-place finish marks the highest finish for the program at the NEWMAC Championship meet dating back to the 1992 season, when Mount Holyoke College produced a first-place finish.
The Lyons produced 80 points on the day to finish second overall, as MIT claimed the NEWMAC Championship with 19 points. Wellesley College was third place with a total of 92, while WPI (116) and Coast Guard (141) rounded out the top five.
Leading the Lyons was the duo of Hannah Rieders (Wellesley, Mass.) and Madeline Rieders (Wellesley, Mass.), who finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Placing in the Top-17, both Hannah Rieders and Madeline Rieders , along with first-year Lauren Selkin (Greenwich, Conn.), earned NEWMAC All-Conference honors, marking the first time since 2015 that the Mount Holyoke College cross country team has had a student-athlete garner All-Conference accolades.
For her efforts during the 2019 season, Selkin was named the NEWMAC Women's Cross Country Rookie of the Year. Selkin becomes the first NEWMAC Women's Cross Country Rookie of the Year at Mount Holyoke College since Kathy Trandem garnered the honor following the 1999 season. There have only been three student-athletes at Mount Holyoke College to earn this award, as Samantha Williams was also recognized with Rookie of the Year honors in 1993.
The last time that the Lyons had multiple student-athletes earn All-Conference honors was in 2002, when Sarah Sladen was fifth overall, while Niki Lefebvre followed with a 10th-place finish. This marks the first time in program history that the Lyons have had three student-athletes earn NEWMAC All-Conference accolades.
Hannah Rieders was fourth overall with a time of 22:42, while Madeline Rieders also turned in a time of 22:42 to finish inside the Top 5. Selkin, competing at the NEWMAC Championships for the first time in her career, crossed the finish line in 23:35 and produced a 16th-place result.
Finishing just outside of the Top-17 was first-year Olivia Griesmer (Austin, Texas), who posted a time of 23:39, as she was followed by Simone Jacob (San Francisco, Calif.), who was 41st overall with a time of 24:35. Sarah Hyde (Arlington, Mass.) rounded out the Top 5 for the Lyons, crossing the finish line in 24:58.
Sophomore Sydney Nash (New Hartford, Conn.) had an impressive race, producing a time of 25:04, as she was followed by Amanda Kearney (Teaneck, N.J.), who notched a time of 25:22. Next was Meryl Phair (Stockbridge, Mass.) with a time of 25:34, who was followed by Sophia Gronbeck (Westfield, Mass.), posted a finishing time of 25:40.
The next wave of Mount Holyoke College student-athlete featured Kayla Dillon (Great Barrington, Mass.) who posted a time of 25:53, just two seconds ahead of Emma Raney (Palo Alto, Calif.), who crossed in 25:55. Next was Katie Milligan (Scituate, Mass.) with a time of 26:02, who finished just ahead of Sophia Anderson (Morrisville, Vt.), who notched a time of 26:06.
First-year Devan Ravino (West Kingston, R.I.) produced a time of 26:38 on the 6k course, while classmate Marlena Klein (South Windsor, Conn.) posted a time of 27:15. Natalie Rodman (Upton, Mass.) posted a mark of 27:18, just ahead of Charlotte Lindblom (Takoma Park, Md.), who crossed the finish line in 27:19. Rounding out the day for the Lyons was Sammi Craig (Austin, Texas) with a time of 27:28, Michelle Serrano (Los Angeles, Calif.) with a time of 27:37 and Olivia Wrobleski (Fall River, Mass.) with a time of 29:15.
Up next, Mount Holyoke College will travel to Brunswick, Maine on Saturday, November 16 for the NCAA Division III Northeast Regional Championship. The women's 6k is set to begin at 12;15 p.m.
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Photo courtesy of Julia Cronin '92
