Ithaca Chases Ninth Empire 8 Women's Cross Country Title

10/28/2011 9:48:25 AM

Ithaca College will defend its women’s cross country conference championship at the Empire 8 Cross Country Championships at Saratoga Springs on Saturday.  The Bombers have won each of the first eight conference championships in women’s cross country. 

The Bombers, ranked ninth in the Atlantic Region, are led by three-time first-team all-conference runner and reigning Empire 8 Championship Runner of the Meet Heidi Baumbach. She has been named conference Runner of the Week six consecutive times.

Graduate student Alissa Kersey finished second to Baumbach in last year’s championship to earn all-conference accolades for the third time. Junior Megan Schenk finished seventh to garner first-team honors a year ago, while classmate Ebonie Howard raced to a 10^th-place finish and second-team honors.

Junior Kelsey Ryan paced Nazareth College to a seventh-place finish at the New York State Collegiate Track Conference Championships last weekend. She finished 35^th.

Sophomore Katie Day is the top Utica College runner and earned Rookie of the Meet honors last year with her fifth-place finish. She placed 19^th in the 118-runner field at the NYSCTC meet.

Senior Erika Gates has been the top runner for Hartwick College, placing 14^th at the Cazenovia Homecoming Invitational and second at the Hartwick Twilight 5K.

Senior Jamie Brabston was the top finisher for Stevens Institute of Technology with her 29^th-place finish in the 138-runner Collegiate Track Conference Championships.

First-year runner Tracie Forrester led Alfred University with a 78^th-place finish at the NYSCTC meet.

St. John Fisher College will be participating in the Empire 8 championship for the first time. Amanda Westfall was the Cardinals’ top finisher at the recent Yellowjacket Invitational.