Cambridge, Mass- The Lelsey University Women's Cross Country team claimed the NECC cCnference Championship Title for the first time since 2014 Saturday afternoon at Stanley Park in Westfield, Mass.  The Lynx had five runners finish in the top 10 out of 45 runners to cruise their way to the title.   

Lesley's Amy Bouchard (Goffstown, NH) continued to lead the charge the for Lynx placing 2nd overall with a time of 20:35.60 in the 5k run.  Senior Alex DiMauro (Woburn, Mass) was not far behind in 20:56.60, good for 4th place. Rounding out the top 5 runners for Lesley and 10 overall were Nicole Footer (Lewiston, ME), Jordan Penney (Eliot, ME), and Julia Fagundes, all within thirty seconds of each other claiming 6th, 7th, and 8th place respectively. 

Finishing second in the NECC team standings was Elms College with a total of 57 points. The Blazers placed five runners in the top 18 including Keara Moulton (22:58.85/ 13th overall) Tyana Medina (23:21.44/ 14th overall) and Sarah Tatgenhorst (20:52.60).  Annika Kristiansen of Southern Vermont won the race in a time of 20:10.89.  

At the conclusion of the race, All Conference Selections and major awards were given out.  Lesley University major awards were given to Freshman Julia Fagundes receiving Rookie of the Year recognition, and head coach Brendan Peltier was named the Coach of the Year, as voted on by his peers. 

Amy Bouchard, Alex DiMauro, Nicole Footer, and Jordan Penney were all named to the NECC All Conference First team.  Fagundes, Beth Caronna, and Anne Cooper were named All Conference Second Team selections for the Lynx. 

Runner of the Year- Annika Kristiansen, Southern Vermont College

Rookie of the Year- Julia Fagundes, Lesley University

Coach of the Year- Brendan Peltier, Lesley University

Photo credit to Katie Collins