Results

ATTLEBORO, Mass. — The Massachusetts Institute of Technology women’s cross country team won its 18th straight and 20th overall NEWMAC crown and United States Coast Guard Academy senior Claire Semerod (Centennial, Colo.) placed first overall this afternoon at the Mark Coogan Cross Country Course at Highland Park in Attleboro, Mass. The six-kilometer race was hosted by Wheaton College (Mass.).

MIT boasted five of the top seven individual finishers as well as seven of the top 10 for a total of 24 points. 

Semerod captured the NEWMAC Women’s Cross Country individual title with a time of 21:26.6 to win the race by nearly 12 seconds. She was named the NEWMAC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year to become the first Bear to earn the honor since Kaitlyn Mooney was tabbed in both 2017 and 2018. Senior Kristina Kyle (Watertown, Conn.) was named the NEWMAC Women’s Cross Country Rookie of the Year after placing 14th with a time of 22:53.8 in her first year of collegiate competition in the sport. 

Coast Guard placed second as a team with 66 points, while Wellesley College was third with 112 points. Smith College slotted in at fourth with a total of 141 points, and Springfield College was fifth with a tally of 165 points. Wheaton finished sixth with 197 points to edge Babson College’s total of 199. Worcester Polytechnic placed eighth with 210 points, and Salve Regina University was close behind with 213 points to finish ninth as a team. Mount Holyoke College scored 292 points, and Emerson College was a point behind to see the teams place 10th and 11th, respectively. Clark University placed 12th with 307 points. 

Senior Kate Sanderson (West Hartford, Conn.) placed second to lead MIT. The 2024 NEWMAC champ turned in a time of 21:38.2, while senior Rujuta Sane (Chandler, Ariz.) finished fourth for MIT with a mark of 21:58.4. Junior Liv Girand (New York, N.Y.) clocked in at 22:08.6 to place fifth with senior Lexi Fernandez (Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) finishing sixth with a time of 22:13.4. Graduate student and 2022 NEWMAC champion Gillian Roeder (Delmar, N.Y.) placed seventh with a time of 22:15.0. Junior Jessica Meza (Columbus, Ind.) registered a clip of 22:35.2 for a ninth-place showing and sophomore Ava Hartman (New Orleans, La.) placed 10th with a time of 22:45.6. 

Senior Yasmin Defne Dadikhi (Istanbul, Turkiye) finished third to lead Emerson with a time of 21:48.6, and Wellesley senior Emily Brydges (Suffield, Conn.) placed eighth with a mark of 22:32.7

The top 19 finishers all earned NEWMAC All-Conference designation.

1. Claire Semerod (Sr., Centennial, Colo.) - Coast Guard - 21:26.6

2. Kate Sanderson (Sr., West Hartford, Conn.) - MIT - 21:38.2

3. Yasmin Defne Dadikhi (Sr., Istanbul, Turkiye) - Emerson - 25:13.4

4. Rujuta Sane (Sr., Chandler, Ariz.) - MIT - 21:58.4

5. Liv Girand (Jr., New York, N.Y..) - MIT - 22:08.6

6. Lexi Fernandez (Sr., Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) - MIT - 22:13.4

7. Gillian Roeder (Gr., Delmar, N.Y.) - MIT - 22:15.0

8. Emily Brydges (Sr., Suffield, Conn.) - Wellesley - 22:32.7

9. Jessica Meza (Jr., Columbus, Ind.) - MIT - 22:35.2

10. Ava Hartman (So., New Orleans, La.) - MIT - 22:45.6

11. Lauren Mellon (Sr., Falls Church, Va.) - Coast Guard - 22:51.1

12. Anna Weygang (Jr., Farmington, Conn.) - Salve Regina - 26:10.7

13. Lucy Kreipke (Jr., Princeton, N.J.) - Smith - 22:53.1

14. Kristina Kyle (Sr., Watertown, Conn.) - Springfield - 22:53.8

15. Isabella Hastings (Jr., Grantham, N.H.) - Salve Regina - 22:55.3

16. Jaz Vanderhoof (Sr., Portland, Maine) - Wheaton - 23:08.3

17. Erin Hovendon (Sr., Laurel Park, N.C.) - MIT - 23:08.9

18. Megan Diulus (Jr., Akron, Ohio) - MIT - 23:09.3

19. Brooke Hunter (So., Phillipsburg, N.J.) - Coast Guard - 23:11.1

Senior Simone Beauchamp (Aurora, Colo.) was a near All-Conference performer with a time of 23:34.5 to place 23rd and join Brydges as the top finishers for Wellesley.

Sophomore Abby Wozniak (Blackstone, Mass.) finished shy of All-Conference status, placing 26th for Wheaton with a time of 23:50.5 to join Vanderhoof as the host school’s top runners in the race.

First year Avery Grace Maiese (Waterford, Conn.) joined Kreipke as the top finisher for Smith, placing 28th with a time of 23:54.1.

Senior Sophia Reynolds (Andover, N.H.) finished 29th to lead WPI with a time of 24:07.1, while first-year Kayleigh Carnazza (Virginia Beach, Va.) was 47th with a clip of 24:50.5

Sophomore Sami Wlodyka (Three Rivers, Mass.) finished 33rd overall with a time of 24:16.6 to join Kyle as the top two runners for Springfield.

Sophomore Sophia Draxler (Chester, N.J.) and senior Chloe Clifford (Marshfield, Mass.) were within 16 seconds of each other to lead Babson. Draxler clocked in at 24:17.6 to place 34th, and Clifford was 42nd with a time of 24:33.7.

Senior Sarah West (Concord, N.H.) was the top finisher for Mount Holyoke with a time of 24:56.7 to place 52nd, while junior Anita Konopka (Rolling Meadows, Ill.) was 71st with a mark of 25:39.9. 

Clark senior Siobhan Connolly (Medfield, Mass.) and junior Nicole Steele (Bedford, Mass.) ran step for step to lead the Cougars. Connolly finished 56th with a time of 25:08.0, and Steele was 59th after posting a time of 25:12.0

Senior Olivia Kardos (Northborough, Mass.) was Emerson’s next top harrier after Defne Dadikhi with a time of 25:46.8 to finish 73rd.

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 eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 20 sports.