On the campus of Saint Joseph's (Maine), Emmanuel won team the women's team title while Norwich's Adam Saucier and Suffolk's Emma Weisse were the race winners.
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STANDISH, Maine. – Emmanuel College had four of the top-11 finishers en route to the 2018 GNAC Women's Cross Country Championship on a cloudy Sunday afternoon from Saint Joseph's College of Maine at the SJC Cross Country Trail. It marked the third conference championshiph in a six-year span for the Saints women (44 points), and first since 2015.
Colby-Sawyer College was awarded with the men's championship, headlined by junior Peter Bakker, who finished in fourth place with a time of 27:43. Officially, the Chargers totaled a mere 28 points overall and placed five on the 2018 Men's All-Conference Teams.
For the complete breakdown of men's and women's team standings, All-Conference honorees, and All-Sportsmanship selections, please see below.
From an individual standpoint for the Norwich men, the Cadets boasted the top two finishers as junior Adam Saucier (Massena, N.Y.) captured the individual crown after touring the 8K in 26:50, just one second off the SJC Course record, and and a result was named GNAC Men's Runner of the Year. 2017 GNAC individual champion Brody Hale (Naugatuck, Conn.) placed second overall (27:18) for the Cadets.
Individually, Suffolk freshman Matyas Csiki-Fejer finished third with a 27:29 time en route to GNAC Men's Rookie of the Year honors. Norwich head coach Seth Jackson, in just his first year as the Cadets' skipper, claimed GNAC Men's Coach of the Year honors, as voted upon by fellow conference coaches.
In the women's race, runner-up Suffolk University enjoyed a banner day for the program. Suffolk junior Emma Weisse posted a 19:38 time to finish first overall and establish a new SJC Course record, topping the 19:46 mark set by Emmanuel's Cat Lariviere in the 2008 GNAC Championship. Rams junior Emily Manfra also broke the former course record with a 19:40 effort and was second overall, while Regis junior Magdalene Mann was fourth (20:20) and Simmons freshman Alice Najimy closed out the top five individuals with a 20:29 performance. Najimy was crowned 2018 GNAC Women's Rookie of the Year for her finish as the top first-year runner.
The Saints women utilized significant depth en route to capturing their first conference championship in three years, with seven runners among the first 28 to cross the finish line overall. Sophomore Pearl Vercruysse was third with a 20:10 time, freshman Hannah Fitzpatrick placed eighth (20:53), senior Reilly Boyle was ninth (21:05), and junior Alexandra Gorrill finished 11th (21:25) to help Emmanuel win the title by 50 points, with Suffolk tallying 94 points as the 2018 runner-up.
Suffolk head coach Will Feldman, now in his second year as the Rams' leader, earned GNAC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year accolades, as chosen by his GNAC coaching peers.
For the men after Colby-Sawyer, Suffolk University placed second (64 points), Emmanuel College was third (74), and Saint Joseph's was fourth with 81 points. Regis College (94), Johnson & Wales University (192), Lasell College (218), and Rivier University (228) fielded full teams in this year's championship while University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) entered three individuals in the 2018 event. Norwich was not permitted to score points in the team standings due to an infraction.
In the women's team standings, Saint Joseph's finished third (97 points), Colby-Sawyer College placed fourth (99), and Regis College rounded out the top five teams with 101 points. Norwich University (123), Simmons College (163), Johnson & Wales University (219), and Lasell College (228) closed out the group of full teams. University of Saint Joseph (CT) and Rivier University also featured individuals in the 2018 event.
MEN'S FIRST TEAM ALL-GNAC (top seven individuals):
Adam Saucier, Norwich
Brody Hale, Norwich
Matyas Csiki-Fejer, Suffolk
Peter Bakker, Colby-Sawyer
Korey Leonard, Norwich
Ben Jones, Colby-Sawyer
Liam Fleming, Colby-Sawyer
MEN'S SECOND TEAM ALL-GNAC (individuals placing 8th-14th):
Erik Brobst, Emmanuel
Zachary Bergeron, Norwich
Troy Hendricks, Saint Joseph's
Jacob Huberdeau, Saint Joseph's
Patrick Carty, Emmanuel
Kyle Hajj, Colby-Sawyer
Bruin Smith, Colby-Sawyer
GNAC MEN'S RUNNER OF THE YEAR: Adam Saucier, Norwich
GNAC MEN'S ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Matyas Csiki-Fejer, Suffolk
GNAC MEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR: Seth Jackson, Norwich
GNAC MEN'S INSTITUTIONAL SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD: Saint Joseph's College of Maine
MEN'S TEAM STANDINGS
1. Colby-Sawyer - 28
2. Suffolk - 64
3. Emmanuel - 74
4. Saint Joseph's (Maine) - 81
5. Regis - 94
6. Johnson & Wales - 192
7. Lasell - 218
8. Rivier - 228
MEN'S ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Bruin Smith, Colby-Sawyer
Cameron Atherton, Emmanuel
Matthew Ursillo, Johnson & Wales
Ryan Dalaba, Lasell
Andrew Turner, Norwich
Gustavo Novelle-Ruddy, Regis
Yash Jagtap, Rivier
Chamroeun Chhorn, Saint Joseph (CT)
Avery Liotta-Henderson, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Roth Santos, Suffolk
WOMEN'S FIRST TEAM ALL-GNAC (top seven individuals):
Emma Weisse, Suffolk
Emily Manfra, Suffolk
Pearly Vercruysse, Emmanuel
Magdalene Mann, Regis
Alice Najimy, Simmons
Kaylan Dunham, Johnson & Wales
Mia Tompkins, University of Saint Joseph
WOMEN'S SECOND TEAM ALL-GNAC (individuals placing 8th-14th):
Hannah Fitzpatrick, Emmanuel
Reilly Boyle, Emmanuel
Maddie Boucias, Regis
Alexandra Gorrill, Emmanuel
Sarah Curtin, Saint Joseph's
Ashleigh Kelley, Regis
Alison Fairbairn, Colby-Sawyer
GNAC WOMEN'S RUNNER OF THE YEAR: Emma Weisse, Suffolk
GNAC WOMEN'S ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Alice Najimy, Simmons
GNAC WOMEN'SCOACH OF THE YEAR: Will Feldman, Suffolk
GNAC WOMEN'S INSTITUTIONAL SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD: Colby-Sawyer College
WOMEN'S TEAM STANDINGS
1. Emmanuel - 44
2. Suffolk - 94
3. Saint Joseph's (Maine) - 97
4. Colby-Sawyer - 99
5. Regis - 101
6. Norwich - 123
7. Simmons - 163
8. Johnson & Wales - 219
9. Lasell - 228
WOMEN'S ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Alexandria Rogers, Colby-Sawyer
Rachael Nazzaro, Emmanuel
Hannah Blossom, Johnson & Wales
Ashlee DeBarros, Lasell
Robyn Hageman, Norwich
Lizzy Melvin, Regis
Marin Owens, Rivier
Mia Tompkins, Saint Joseph (CT)
Lauren Lecompte, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Gabby Freeman, Simmons
Emily Manfra, Suffolk
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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