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WPI, MIT and Coast Guard Nab 2023 NEWMAC Women's Cross Country Major Awards

WESTWOOD, Mass – After a runner up performance at the 2023 NEWMAC Women's Cross Country Championships, the Coast Guard coaching staff earned the honor of 2023 NEWMAC Women's Cross Country Coaching Staff of the Year. The Bears finished with 47 points, with three runners crossing in the top-10. Coast Guard, headed by Ethan Brown and assisted by Greg Ahnrud and Tara Larkin, improved upon their third-place finish from 2022. This is the first time since 2006 that the Coast Guard coaching staff has been recognized. 

WPI’s Grace Hadley (North Reading, Mass.) was named NEWMAC Athlete of the Year after clocking in a time of 22:18.7 to win the 6K race at Smith College. Hadley led the Engineers to a third-place team finish. MIT’s Olivia Girand (New York, N.Y.) was tabbed Rookie of the Year, as she finished ninth in the race, first amongst rookies, with a time of 23:41.6, helping MIT to its 16th-straight NEWMAC title.

In addition, the top 17 finishers at the NEWMAC Championship earned All-Conference honors. MIT saw six athletes honored; Coast Guard had four. WPI saw three athletes cross in the top 17, while Wellesley had two. Smith and Emerson each had one athlete honored.
 
2023 NEWMAC Women’s Cross Country All-Conference Team
  1. Grace Hadley (Gr., North Reading, Mass.) - WPI - 22:18.7
  2. Paige Phillips (Jr., Wilmington, N.C.) - Coast Guard - 22:40.6
  3. Kate Sanderson (So., West Hartford, Conn.) - MIT - 22:48.4
  4. Claire Semerod (So., Centennial, Colo.) - Coast Guard - 22:53.2
  5. Christina Crow (Jr., Mercer Island, Wash.) - MIT - 23:00.8
  6. Ella Whinney (So., Madison, Wis.) - Wellesley - 23:17.6
  7. Sophia White (Jr., Gurley, Ala.) - Coast Guard - 23:18.4
  8. Lexi Fernandez (So., Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) - MIT - 23:20.9
  9. Olivia Girand (Fy., New York, N.Y.) - MIT - 23:41.6
  10. Heather Jensen (Fy., Manhattan Beach, Calif.) - MIT - 23:49.9
  11. Caitlin Guilfoyle (Sr., Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.) - WPI - 23:51.3
  12. Amelia Kokernak (Gr., Niskayuna, N.Y.) - WPI - 23:51.9
  13. Pria Parker (Jr., Hingham, Mass.) - Smith -23:52.5
  14. Fiona Hanrahan (Fy., Falmouth, Maine) - Wellesley - 24:00.8
  15. Erin Hovendon (So., Hendersonville, N.C.) - MIT - 24:08.4
  16. Sidney Triepke (Jr., Missoula, Mont.) - Coast Guard - 24:09.5
  17. Yasmin Defne Dadikhi (So., Istanbul, Turkey) - Emerson - 24:16.4
About the NEWMAC

The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with four Associate Members: Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), while sponsoring 20 sports.