GRANTHAM, Pa. - Eastern Women's Cross Country, running on tough course with nearly 400 feet of elevation gain the second mile, finished eighth out of 16 teams in the 2024 MAC Championships on Saturday morning. The Eagles finished with a team score of 221. It was Eastern's best finish in the women's race since 2019, when they placed fifth. It was also four places higher from where they finished a year ago.
Hailey Shreffler earned Second-Team All-MAC Honors with an 11th place finish, the second of her collegiate career. The senior from Nesquehoning crossed the finish line in 23:45.5. Furthermore, it was the highest placement for an Eastern women's cross country runner since Mary Bernotas finished in 11th back in 2021.
"Today is the day we were able to put our pieces together," Eastern Head Coach
Kiehl Smith said. "Our ladies listened to the race strategy and executed it perfectly. Getting out strong but controlled, not to waste energy before the hill climb on mile two, but also running in our packs and working together. We went into the day ranked 9th, but we knew that when everything got put together, we could be better. Seeing these thoughts, goals, and promises become a reality is something I love about this sport."
Along with Shreffler, fellow senior
Madison Moylan and
Anastasia Sider-Rose competed in their final MAC Championships. Sider-Rose, who hails from Pittsburgh, finished third on the Eagles with a time of 26:08.6. First-year
Julia Wade also ran a solid race for the Eagles with a time of 25:45.1.
"We have three very special seniors on the women's team who have been through this whole regrowth process, so our goal was to run hard for them," Smith continued. "To let their impact on this program be known. Seeing those three seniors line up together with a team they've been dreaming of having for years now got me pretty emotional and will be something I remember forever. This team will continually grow, but their impact will always be here."
Eastern Women's Cross Country will next compete in the NCAA DIII Metro Region Championships in Galloway, N.J. on Nov. 16.
