Women's Cross Country | 10/31/2024 9:58:58 AM
The 2024 Empire 8 Women’s Cross Country Championship will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 2 at Field of Dreams Park in Houghton, NY, hosted by Houghton University. Eleven teams will vie for the team title in the 6,000-meter event. Nazareth University will look to repeat as Empire 8 Champions. E8 newcomers SUNY Brockport, SUNY Geneseo and SUNY Poly make their league championship debut as well. Live results will be able from
www.leonetiming.com.
The Golden Flyers of
Nazareth will look to repeat as 2024 Empire 8 Championship with six all-conference runners returning. Junior Ella Impaglia finished fourth overall in the 2023 championship and garnered All-Niagara Region accolades. She has earned a pair of top-10 finishes this season. Sophomore Meghan Moyer is the reigning Empire 8 Rookie of the Year. She placed 10th overall at the 2023 E8 Championship and earned All-E8 second team honors. Graduate student Paige Ackley garnered All-E8 second team accolades in 2023 after earning third team plaudits in 2022. Sophomores Morgan Pospiech, Ava Baker, and Bailey Visinguard all earned Empire 8 third team accolades last season.
Sophomore Noelle Linenfelser, the 2024 Empire 8 Runner of the Year, will look to lead
Houghton University to its second league title in 2024. She won the 2023 Empire 8 Individual Championship in a championship record time of 21:38.8 and was the top E8 finisher at the Niagara Region Championship, placing 21st overall. Linenfelser was the E8 Runner of the Week on Sept. 16 and has three top-five finishes this season. Sophomore Aria Larson earned All-E8 third team honors in 2023 along with senior Tabitha Clark, who earned third team honors in 2021. Newcomers Emberlynn Nolt and Jenna Binney will compete for All-E8 accolades.
St. John Fisher will look to get back to the top of the Empire 8 after having its three-year run of league titles snapped in 2023. n Riley Jameson, Olivia Grinnell, Caitlin Voloshen and Allison List. Jameson enjoyed a breakout season in 2023, placing third overall at the E8 Championship to garner All-E8 first team honors, in addition to recording a top-30 finish at the NCAA Niagara Region Championship, securing All-Region honors. Voloshen was an All-E8 second team selection last season, Grinnell and List were third team picks. Newcomers Grace Caterina and Bri Hurlbut could join the team’s top 8.
Utica University returns a host of talented runners, including sophomore Maria Stuhlman, who garnered All-Empire 8 third team accolades in 2023. Senior Jade Dening returns after earning All-Empire 8 honors for the third straight season. She was also the 2021 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year. Alexis Heath, Catherine Manna and Marlo Townsend will also look to earn All-E8 accolades.
Alfred will look for a strong performance under head coach, Matt Phillips. Senior McKenzie Hall, a 2022 All-Empire 8 second team selection, will lead the way for the Saxons. Sophomores Annabelle Townsend in addition to newcomers Mia Frazier, Alivia Kocan, and Desirea Stuart will be counted on to contribute.
The Gators of
Russell Sage College will look to earn career-best times this weekend. Junior Charisma Losee, senior Merideth Diegel, sophomore Alexis Arango and first-year Stephanie Beyer will compete.
The Hawks of
Hartwick College will look to improve upon its seventh-place finish from 2023. Junior Brynita Haas is back after recording a 36th place finish at the 2023 Empire 8 Championship. Senior Maddy Smith will also return after being the second Hawk to cross the finish line in last year’s championship. Senior Giovanna Wall and first-year Addison Shank will look to make an impact.
Keuka College will look to make strides in its fourth Empire 8 season under first year head coach Ryan Johnson. Junior Laura Barrett and first-year runners Mae Ennis in addition to sophomore Sophia Babcock will lead the way for the Wolves this weekend.
The Golden Eagles of
SUNY Brockport make their Empire 8 Championship debut in 2024. Last season, Brockport finished fifth in the SUNYAC under head coach John Davis. Graduate student Mia Vizcaino has served as Brockport’s top runner this season and was the E8 Runner of the Week on Sept. 9. Seniors Leah Lloyd, Julianne Wilson and Lauren Yonko in addition to first-year Ethne Degan will also look to contribute for the Golden Eagles this weekend.
National powerhouse
SUNY Geneseo makes its Empire 8 Championship debut this weekend. The Knights enter the Championship ranked seventh in the most recent USTFCCCA Division III national poll and have won three team events this season. The Knights finished their run in the SUNYAC with 12 straight league titles and 22 league championships overall, all in the last 23 seasons. Last season, Geneseo won both the SUNYAC and Niagara Region Championships and sent a team to nationals for the 23rd straight season. Geneseo placed fifth nationally at the 2023 NCAA Championships, have recorded nine straight top-10 team finishes, five top-three finishes overall and were NCAA Division III National Champions in 2005. Led by head coach Dan Moore, Geneseo has a strong group of student-athletes competing, including senior Penelope Greene, who was the 2023 SUNYAC Champion, Niagara Region Champion and placed third overall at the NCAA Championship to earn All-American honors. She is a three-time E8 Runner of the Week this season. Lilly Fowler-Conner, Ann Brennan, Gabriella McCarthy, Jillian Rourke, Sierra Doody, Ari Reback and Isabel Marzec will also compete for All-Confrence honors.
SUNY Poly makes its Empire 8 Championship debut in 2024 after competing in the North Atlantic Conference last season. Head coach Jerry Tine enters his first season with the Wildcats with senior Rosalea Claeys set to lead the way.
The 2024 E8 Championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X and Instagram (@Empire8). Live results will be available at
www.leonetiming.com.
2024 Empire 8 Cross Country Championship Schedule
Saturday, November 2
Women’s Championship (8,000-meters) – 11:00 a.m.
Men’s Championship (6,000-meters) – 12:00 p.m.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com and
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