Full Results

GENEVA, N.Y. -- Despite muddy course conditions at the Seneca Lake State Park, the Elmira College women's cross country team turned in a stellar performance at the 2019 Cross Country Only Conference (CCOC) Championships with a program-record third-place finish.

The Soaring Eagles, who have attended the CCOC Championships annually since the fall of 2015, bested last year's fifth-place performance to earn their first-ever podium finish at the event. EC trailed only Clarkson University, a top-10 regional team, and the hosts from William Smith in the team standings with a total of 105 points. Elmira narrowly edged fourth-place Morrisville State, as the Mustangs were only five points behind with 110.

As they've done throughout the 2019 campaign, the one-two punch of Emma MacDowell '23 and Claire Preisch '21 were the quickest to the finish line on Saturday. MacDowell and Preisch were separated by only 5.4 seconds, as the former came in 22nd place with a six-kilometer time of 27:58.2 and the latter was 23rd at 28:03.6.

Although Head Coach Lou Fiorillo described the course conditions as unfavorable, first-year runners Danielle Knapp '23, Gabrielle Stemmer '23, and Mackenzie Becker '23 each logged 6K personal records, which played a significant role in Elmira's top-three team finish. Knapp clocked in a 29:23.8 and placed 34th, followed by Stemmer in 43rd with a time of 30:37.9. Becker concluded EC's scoring five, as the freshman from Solon, Ohio, was 50th overall with a 6K time of 32:40.3.

Elmira senior Abby Torres '20 completed her third race of the season and her first-ever collegiate 6K. The Fayetteville, North Carolina, native placed 68th after navigating the course in 51:21.2.

In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Lou Fiorillo when asked about Elmira's results at the 2019 CCOC Championships…
"We were without our No. 3 runner, Ashley Naples '22, who was out with the flu, but the other runners really stepped up on a muddy and sloppy course to run their best race of the year competitively. I am very proud of how they stepped up and gutted it out."

Elmira Women's Results
22 – Emma MacDowell – 27:58.2
23 – Claire Preisch – 28:03.6
34 – Danielle Knapp – 29:23.8
43 – Gabrielle Stemmer – 30:37.9
50 – Mackenzie Becker – 32:40.3
68 – Abby Torres – 51:21.2

Team Results

1. Clarkson – 15
2. William Smith – 50
3. Elmira – 105
4. Morrisville State – 110
5. D'Youville – 129
6. Medaille – 155

Up Next
The second leg of Elmira's championship season will take place on Saturday, November 2, when the Soaring Eagles head to Pittsford, New York, to compete in the Empire 8 Conference Championships. The women's 6K at the 2019 E8 Championships, hosted on the campus of St. John Fisher College, is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m.