Women's Outdoor Track and Field | 6/5/2025 2:00:00 PM
SUNY Geneseo senior Penelope Greene was named the 2025 Niagara Region Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and sophomore Jillian Ambler was named the Field Athlete of the Year. Geneseo Track and Field Head Coach Chris Popovici earned the 2025 Niagara Region Head Coach of the Year award and Assistant Coach Dan Moore Assistant Coach of the Year announced by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) .
Greene, who hails from Sah Harbor, New York, was named the Empire 8 Indoor Track Athlete of the Year after winning 2025 NCAA Championships in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter events in dominant fashion from the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, OH from May 22-24. Greene began the meet by winning the 10,000-meters by 33 seconds in a time of 33:46.70. She then rolled to a nearly 15 second win in the 5,000-meters, crossing the finish line in a time of 16:01.55. She ran the sixth-fastest 5,000-meter time in NCAA history. Greene did lose an individual race against Division III competition during the spring, as she took the 5,000- and 10,000-meter title at the E8 Championships and won the 1,500-meters at the All-Atlantic Region Championships. Greene also set all-time Empire 8 records in the 1,500- (4:22.23), 5,000- (16:01.55) and 10,000-meters (33:42.16).
Ambler, a Fairport, NY native, was an All-Niagara Region selection in the 4x100-meter relay, 100-meter hudles and the long jump. At the 2025 NCAA Division III Championships her 4x100-meter relay team finished with a time of :47.28 and her 4x400-meter relay team finished at 3:49.56. She finished in tenth place in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of :14.13.
Popovici, in his tenth season coaching the Knights, and Moore in his ninth season, led their team to their first Empire 8 Outdoor Track & Field Championship in dominant fashion and placed seventh at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Overall, Geneseo had 21 different student-athletes earn All-Conference honors, while Greene was national champion in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter events 400-meter dash, Greene, Gabriella McCarthy (10,000-meters) and Ann Brennan (3,000-meter steeplechase) earned First Team All-American honors. The Knights, who had 16 different student-athletes combine to earn 24 USTFCCCA All-Region accolades, shattered six E8 Outdoor Track and Field Championship records and 11 overall league marks in 2025.
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.
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