NE10 40th Anniversary Home Page
When the starter’s pistol went off at approximately 1:00 pm on November 23, 1991, seven members of the Springfield College women’s cross country team embarked under cloudy and windy conditions alongside 84 other competitors at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships in Edwardsville, Illinois.
The student-athletes would be tested throughout the 5k course as temperatures hovered just above freezing, but led by standout Kate Meehan, Springfield would put together a historic finish by taking sixth as a team on the national stage.
Meehan, who would later go on to be inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017, finished fifth overall and third among student-athletes who were racing with their team as she crossed the finish line in 18:34 while running a 5:59 pace. Teammate Aly Homko turned in a time of 19:21 to finish 21st, while classmate Andrea Muzeroll closely followed with a 19:42 to finish in the top 40. Springfield’s fourth-fastest runner would be Katie Karraker, who registered a 20:06, and Stacey Smith delivered a time of 20:33 to round out Springfield’s runners who factored into the team score. Theresa Pratt (20:44) and Meg Manser (21:44) also ran in the championship race for Springfield.
Meehan’s finish was the best ever for an NE10 cross country runner at the NCAA Championships. Now, 30 years after her race it is tied for the third-best finish, regardless of gender, in conference history as she trails just Nicole Plante (2nd in 2006) and Ezra Mutai (1st in 2019).
The 1991 season marked the ninth-consecutive year that Springfield’s women’s cross country team would capture the Northeast-10 Championship, as Meehan won the first of her two NE10 individual titles following a run of 18:57 in the conference championship. All told, Springfield would win 12 straight NE10 titles spanning 1983-1994, which also featured eight instances in which a Springfield student-athlete produced the fastest time among her conference foes to claim the individual crown.
Springfield Cross Country Links of Note:
- NE10 Cross Country Championship History
- Kate Meehan Springfield Hall of Fame Bio
- Official 1991 NCAA Championship Results
ABOUT THE NE10
Beginning its 40th anniversary season, the NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
