WESTFIELD, Mass. - Southern Connecticut State made history Sunday at Stanley Park, becoming just the third institution since 2000 to capture the NE10 men's and women's cross country championships in the same season (American International and Stonehill).
The Owls' men's team clinched first place with seven runners finishing in the top 20 and five in the top 15.
This is Southern's third team championship. The Owls defended the title they won at the 2022 NE10 Championships while returning individual champion Jonathan Volpe finished second overall with a time of 25.11.8.
The SCSU women's cross country team clinched first place at the Northeast-10 Conference Championships for the first time in school history. The win also marks the first time in NE10 lore that three different teams have won the league's top prize in a three-year span. Southern had five runners finish in the top 20 and a total of 54 points to get the victory.
Katherine Marsh claimed the league's individual women's title, finishing the 6K course in 21:38.1 -- nine seconds ahead of her sister, Isabel. Tess Drury of Saint Michael's rounded out the podium as a freshman in 21:56.6. Marsh becomes the first Adelphi Panther to clinch the NE10 individual title.
Franklin Pierce's Wondu Summa won the men's 8K race in 25:04.9. Like Marsh to Adelphi, Summa is the first Raven to take home NE10 gold. Volpe followed seven seconds behind, finishing on the podium for the second consecutive season and six seconds ahead of AIC's Sadadine Adam in third.
FINAL MEN'S RESULTS (8K)
1. Southern Connecticut: 2:07:48.5
2. Franklin Pierce: 2:10:08.3
3. Adelphi: 2:13:53.61
4. Bentley: 2:13:38.0
5. Assumption: 2:13:55.7
6. SNHU: 2:15:01.6
7. New Haven: 2:15:21.3
8. St. Michael's: 2:15:42.6
9. St. Anselm: 2:16:18.9
10. AIC: 2:20:04.7
11. Saint Rose: 2:46:02.6
12: Pace: 2:42:24.0
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
Wondu Summa, Franklin Pierce
Jonathan Volpe, SCSU
Sadadine Adam, AIC
Jeremy Rivera, SCSU
Owen Gagne, SCSU
Sam Capobianco, Bentley
Ryan Outerbridge, Franklin Pierce
FINAL WOMEN'S RESULTS (6K)
1. Southern Connecticut: 1:55:19.5
2. Adelphi: 1:55:39.3
3. St. Michael's: 1:58:05.0
4. SNHU: 1:58:26.4
5. St. Anselm: 1:59:23.3
6: Bentley: 2:01:47.5
7. Assumption: 2:15:34.7
8. Franklin Pierce: 2:20:13.2
9. St. Rose: 2:25:02.3
10. New Haven: 2:31:02.3
11. Pace: 2:28:34.7
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
Katherine Marsh, Adelphi
Isabel Marsh, Adelphi
Tess Drury, St. Michael's
Kelsey Seamans, SNHU
Caitlin Burmester, Bentley
Briana Grecco, SCSU
Fran Peterson, St. Michael's
The Eilte 24 Award honors the student-athlete competing at each conference championship event with the highest GPA. Saint Michael's swept this year's Elite 24 recognition with Swapnil Jhajharia (Sr., Psychology/Statistics, 4.00 GPA) and Katie Culliton (Sr., Elementary Education/Equity Studies, 4.00 GPA) taking home the honors.
-Some Recap Content Courtesy of Southern Connecticut State Athletic Communications-
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 12 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.
