Lesley Takes Sixth Straight NECC Women's Cross Country Championship, Wildcats Place Sixth

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Lesley University senior Leah Miller (Thomaston, Conn.) crossed the finish line one minute and 32 seconds ahead of the next closest competitor to help lead the Lynx secure a sixth consecutive New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Women's Cross Country Championship, this morning at Stanley Park.

Lesley's women claimed three of the first four places and sported five of the top eight finishers in the five-kilometer race, compiling a team score of 22 points, comfortably ahead of Elms College, which tallied 66 points en route to a second place finish.  Regis College finished third with 75 points, while Mitchell College captured fourth place with 102 points, Southern Vermont College (fifth, 127 points), Bay Path College (sixth, 149 points) and Newbury College (seventh, 170 points) rounded out the field.

Miller's 5K time of 18:48.13 edged Lesley senior teammate Ana Lutkevich (Mansfield, Mass.), who clocked in at 20:20.67) for the individual championship and NECC Runner of the Year honors, while Regis freshman Siobhan McLaughlin (Derry, N.H.) claimed  NECC Rookie of the Year honors with a third-place showing of 20:26.29.  Elms' Matt Dyer was honored as 2013 NECC Coach of the Year, while the Blazers also were honored with the Team Sportsmanship Award.

Joining Miller, Lutekevich and McLaughlin on the NECC All-Conference first team was Lesley senior Jackie Rosa (Wolcott, Conn.), who placed fourth with a time of 20:35.25, and Southern Vermont freshman Schyler McGuire (Mechanicville, N.Y.), who came in fifth with a time of 21:00.29.

NECC All-Conference second team honors went to the next five finishers, including Elms senior Devon DeGrazia (Westport, Mass.), who placed sixth with a time of 21:04.29, Lesley senior Kat Vicino (Mattapoisett, Mass.), who finished seventh with a time of 21:15.70, Lesley sophomore Elena Pereira (Wilmington, Vt.), who crossed the line eighth in 21:44.31, Southern Vermont sophomore Haley Omasta (Danbury, Conn.), who captured ninth with a time of 21:45.87), and Mitchell sophomore Sheilah Newcity (Stonington, Conn.), who rounded out the top-10, clocking 22:28:59.    

The relatively young Bay Path quintet was led by freshman Mika Schneider (Monson, Mass.), who placed 21^st with a time of23:53.14.  She was followed by a pair of sophomores, Lian Brumaghim (Newtown, Conn.) and Morgan Packer-McCarthy (Windsor Locks, Conn.).  Brumaghim, finished 29^th with a 25:37.11 showing, while Packer-McCarthy earned 34^th place with a 27:13.61 performance.  Senior Katrina Trajovski (Wilbraham, Mass.) finished 38^th with a time of 29:06.46, while sophomore Megan Wise (Chicopee, Mass.) placed 41^st with a time of 29:37.61.

Women's Runner of the Year 
Leah Miller, Lesley

Women's Rookie of the Year
Siobhan McLaughlin, Regis

Women's Coach of the Year
Matt Dyer, Elms College

Women's Team Sportsmanship
Elms College

Women's All-Conference First Team
Leah Miller, Lesley
Ana Lutkevich, Lesley
Siobhan McLaughlin, Regis
Jackie Rosa, Lesley
Schyler McGuire, Southern Vermont

Women's All-Conference Second Team
Devon DeGrazia, Elms
Kat Vicino, Lesley
Elena Pereira, Lesley
Haley Omasta, Southern Vermont
Sheilah Newcity, Mitchell

21 Schneider, Mika           FR Bay Path College        4:46.7   23:53.14   20  

29 Brumaghim, Lian           SO Bay Path College        5:07.5   25:37.11   26  

34 Packer-McCarthy, Morgan   SO Bay Path College        5:26.8   27:13.61   31  

38 Trajovski, Katrina        SR Bay Path College        5:49.3   29:06.46   35  

41 Wise, Megan               SO Bay Path College        5:55.6   29:37.61   37