The Bison women finished their Cross-Country season at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals on Friday, Nov. 15. The team placed 11th overall, with five finishers in the top 100. The Bison were the second highest placing Patriot League team, two places behind Navy.
“Our goal was top 10 as a team, and we were very close and, considering we were not at full strength due to some recent health issues,” Head Coach Kevin Donner said. “We saw Navy at four meets this year and went 2-2, although they did beat us at the championship meets. They were all very close.”
Caryn Rippey ’26 led the team with a top 50 finish. She placed 44th with a time of 21:07.5 and moved a total of 18 spots throughout the course. She led the Bison in every race she competed in this season, including her All-League finish at the Patriot League conference meet.
Captain Sarah Policano ’25 followed Rippey with a 74th-place finish. Surpassing five others in the final leg, the senior ran a time of 21:38.3 to cap off her final collegiate race. Kerry O’Day ’28 followed Policano with a 21:39.7 time and 75th-place finish, securing the highest place of all three competing Bison first-years.
Lauren Trapani ’25, another captain for the Orange and Blue, scored 93rd place in her final cross-country race. With a time of 21:53.4, Trapani moved up five spots during the race. This is the second season for Trapani’s success in placing in the top one hundred at Mid-Atlantic Regionals, placing in 63rd place in 2023. First-year Kate Moncavage ’28 followed right behind Trapani, concluding her rookie campaign with a 94th-place finish. She also moved up five spots throughout the race.
Underclassmen Shaelan McNally ’28 and Kailey Granger ’27 finished just outside of the top one hundred, 103rd and 105th respectively.
The 2024 cross-country season has officially ended for the Bison, and now Coach Donner looks towards the upcoming track and field season.
“I am a big believer that a quality track season sets the runners up for a great cross-country season the following year, so we are excited about the upcoming track and field season.” Coach Donner shared. “We return two all-league runners in Caryn Rippey and Kailey Granger, who will both get better, and we had three freshmen in our top six, so the future looks very bright.”
