Brookville, NY -- Stonehill has set the new standard in NEC Women's Cross Country, claiming a second-ever conference title on Saturday.
The Skyhawks soared to the top of the standings with four top 10 finishers, posting 39 points to earn the title, nine ahead of runner-up Central Connecticut, which saw its two-year reign come to an end.
Le Moyne registered its best-ever finish in third (113), followed by Wagner just two points behind in fourth. LIU placed fifth, followed by New Haven, Mercyhurst, FDU and Chicago State in that order.
CCSU's Mya Morabito (New Milford, CT/New Milford) won the individual championship after clocking a 21:17.8, just over six seconds ahead of the field. She became the 11th CCSU harrier to win the event. Teammate Ellie Ballard (Hebron, CT/RHAM) finished fifth in 21:44.70, earning NEC Freshman of the Year in the process.
Jordan Malloy (Colchester, CT/Bacon Academy) paced the champion Skyhawks with a second-place finish, clocking in at 21:24.30. Emmy Belvin (Chepachet, RI/Mount Saint Charles Academy), Mallory Hildreth (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon) and Jayden Donnelly (Bristol, RI/La Salle Academy) bolstered Stonehill with sixth, ninth and 10th-place finishes. In total, the Skyhawks boasted 11 of the top 25 finishers at the meet.
Le Moyne's Isabella O'Donnell (Latham, NY/Shaker) became the Dolphins' best-ever individual finisher with a bronze-medal effort, clocking in at 21:39.10.
LIU featured a pair of All-Conference runners in Gianna Marina Hartmann (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) and Ally Carillo (Port Washington, NY/Scheiber), placing eighth and 11th, respectively.
The top 14 finishers were named to the All-Conference team. Stonehill led with seven honorees, followed by CCSU (three), LIU (two), Le Moyne (one) and Wagner (one).