WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY WINS GNAC TITLE; McCAFFREY & DaROCHA EARN MAJOR AWARDS

STANDISH, Maine – The Emmanuel College Saints won their second Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Cross Country Championship in the last three years with 49 team points in the 5K race held at Saint Joseph's College on Saturday afternoon.

Five Emmanuel runners placed in the top 18 overall to help the Saints slip past Simmons College, which finished as the runner-up with 64 team points. Johnson & Wales University finished third with 75 points, Norwich University – the 2014 GNAC Champion – placed fourth with 80 points and Saint Joseph's College rounded out the top five with 130 team points.

University of Saint Joseph junior Kaneen Gomez-Hixson (Wethersfield, Conn.) toured the 5K course in 19:59 to collect individual champion and GNAC Runner of the Year honors, just the second USJ runner to accomplish the feat. Emmanuel freshman Margaret McCaffrey (East Greenwich, R.I.) was the runner-up with a 20:08 effort and, as the top first-year finisher, claimed GNAC Rookie of the Year accolades. Senior Chloe Pangonis (Keene, N.H.) placed seventh overall and rookie Mimi Duncan (Portsmouth, N.H.) crossed the finish line in 10th place to earn All-Conference honors for the Saints.

Emmanuel College Head Coach Tony DaRocha was selected as the 2015 GNAC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year by a vote of his peers, the seventh such honor of his prestigious career, and Saint Joseph's College earned the Team Sportsmanship honor, which was also voted on by the conference head coaches.

Simmons senior Kara MacLean (Braintree, Mass.) placed third (20:27) out of 115 participants, Norwich junior Chapel Gaurnieri (Pepperell, Mass.) – the 2014 individual champ – was fourth (20:34 – 15 seconds faster than her 2014 time), and Saint Joseph's graduate Heather Eaton (Lincolnville, Maine) capped the top five individuals with a 20:38 performance.

Overall, University of Saint Joseph was sixth (134 points), Lasell College placed seventh (197), Suffolk University was eighth (235), Anna Maria College finished ninth (262) and Mount Ida College rounded out the docket with a 10th-place finish (305).

MAJOR AWARDS:

TEAM CHAMPION: Emmanuel College

RUNNER-UP: Simmons College

GNAC RUNNER OF THE YEAR: Kaneen Gomez-Hixson (USJ)

GNAC ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Margaret McCaffrey (Emmanuel)

GNAC COACH OF THE YEAR: Tony DaRocha (Emmanuel)

GNAC SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM: Saint Joseph's College

In the men's race, the Norwich University Cadets marched to their eighth GNAC Men's Cross Country Championship with 24 team points in the 8K race held at Saint Joseph's College on Saturday afternoon.

The Cadets placed all five scorers in the top eight overall – and seven in the top 10 – en route to claiming the 2015 conference title by a wide margin, as runner-up Johnson & Wales University finished with 67 points. Lasell College placed third with 84 points, Emmanuel College was fourth with 92, and Saint Joseph's College closed out the top five teams with 128 points.

Norwich freshman Korey Leonard (Pembroke, Mass.) won the event with a 28:09 time, seven seconds ahead of runner-up Adam Sachs (Ellicott City, Md.), a junior standout from Johnson & Wales. As the individual champion and top-finishing first-year participant, Leonard – the second Cadet to win the GNAC Championship - earned GNAC Runner and Rookie of the Year accolades.

Norwich Head Coach Nick Cooper claimed the second GNAC Coach of the Year honor, which is voted on by fellow men's head coaches, while Saint Joseph's College earned the Team Sportsmanship award, as selected by coach vote.

Individually, Norwich freshman Brody Hale (Naugatuck, Conn.) was third with a 28:24 time, Emmanuel junior Ian Chamenko (Beacon Falls, Conn.) placed fourth with a 28:28) effort, and Cadets first-year Cameron Connelly (Panama, Neb.) rounded out the top five with a 28:29 performance.

Suffolk University (190 points, sixth), Rivier University (206, seventh) and Mount Ida College (231, eighth) capped the group of participating institutions.

MAJOR AWARDS:

TEAM CHAMPION: Norwich University

RUNNER-UP: Johnson & Wales University

GNAC RUNNER OF THE YEAR: Korey Leonard (Norwich)

GNAC ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Korey Leonard (Norwich)

GNAC COACH OF THE YEAR: Nick Cooper (Norwich)

GNAC SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM: Saint Joseph's College

*Release courtesy of Saint Joseph's College Sports Information