STANDISH, Maine – On a dreary Sunday in Maine the Suffolk cross country teams rewrote history at the GNAC Championships with the best team performances in program history and the first-ever individual champion in Emma Weisse.
Weisse anchored the Rams' women's team to a runner-up showing with the team combining for a score of 94 behind champion Emmanuel (44).
The junior and her co-captain Emily Manfrae ach maintained a 6:20 pace of the Monks' SJC Course to lead the 89-runner pack form the entire 5k. Weisse came through the finisher's chute first, crossing the tape in 19:38 to establish a new course record, which was set by Emmanuel's Cat Lariviere in the 2008 conference championship. Manfra also broke the former course record, finish just two seconds behind her teammate to finish as the league's runner-up for the second time in her career.
For their impressive efforts the pair each earned all-conference accolades. As freshmen the duo were the first Rams to pick up all-league nods in the same season in 2016 and have gone on to etch their names all over Suffolk's cross country record books. This season, with her first-place performance, Weisse became the first Ram – either male or female - to earn GNAC Runner of the Year honors and is the first Suffolk student-athlete to earn three cross country all-conference accolades. Manfra, meanwhile, accomplished all-conference status for the second-time in her collegiate career, joining just a handful of Rams that have done so.
Freshmen Skyler Spanbauer and Meagan Dyer also finished one after another. Spanbauer's time of 22:49 put the Guilderland, New York native in 29th with Dyer clock in at 23:03 for 30th. Sophomore Mai Linh Vankirk helped Suffolk to its best team performance in the conference tournament as the sophomore completed the Rams' top five scorers with 35th behind a time of 23:22.
Natalie Fay (46th – 23:39) and Olivia Chilcott (53rd – 24:16) also took the course for the Rams' women.
In his second season guiding Suffolk's programs, head coach Will Feldman was tabbed GNAC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year, the first-ever Suffolk leader to be voted by their peers for the honor.
Matyas Csiki-Fejer paced Suffolk's men's squad to a third-place showing. Suffolk's first-year heavy roster teamed up for a team score of 93 to finish behind runner-up Colby Sawyer (49) and four-time champion Norwich (22).
Individually Csiki-Fejer became the first Ram male to walk away with GNAC Rookie of the Year as the freshman from St. Louis, Missouri completed the 8k course in 27:29 to take fourth in the field of 85. For his fifth-place performance, Csiki-Fejer also took home all-league honors becoming the first male runner for the Rams to do so since 1998.
Kevin Torres and Hunter Toyoda worked their way into 20th and 21st, respectively. The former came through finisher's chute in 29:50 with the latter following just three seconds later.
Nick Malm and Keoni Geers finished in the top-30 as well. Malm's time of 30:12 put the rookie in 26th with Geers' tiem of 30:17 good for 28th.
Suffolk's contingent in the championship also included Jonah Flores (31st – 30:38), Joseph Robinson (36th – 31:52), Arthur Lacerda (50th – 32:33) and Nicholas Nunez (74th – 38:35).
Off the course, Manfra and Roth Santos each represent the Rams on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship team, which was established to honor one player from each team in the league for outstanding dedication to sportsmanship and for their portrayal of good sportsmanship, fair play and a positive attitude.
Suffolk continues its season this upcoming weekend at the NCAA Division III Regional Championships, which is hosted by Bowdoin, Saturday, Nov. 3 in Brunswick, Maine.
2018 ALL-GNAC HONORS
FIRST-TEAM ALL-GNAC WOMEN (Top Seven Individuals)
Kaylan Dunham, Johnson & Wales
Emily Manfra, Suffolk
Magdalene Mann, Regis
Alice Najimy, Simmons
Mia Tompkins, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Pearly Vercruysse, Emmanuel
Emma Weisse, Suffolk
SECOND-TEAM ALL-GNAC WOMEN (Individuals Placing 8th-14th)
Maddie Boucias, Regis
Reilly Boyle, Emmanuel
Sarah Curtin, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Alison Fairbairn, Colby Sawyer
Hannah Fitzpatrick, Emmanuel
Alexandra Gorrill, Emmanuel
Ashleigh Kelly, Regis
Women's Team Champion: Emmanuel
Women's Team Runner-Up: Suffolk
Women's GNAC Runner of the Year: Emma Weisse, Suffolk
Women's GNAC Rookie of the Year: Alice Najimy, Simmons
Women's GNAC Coach of the Year: Will Feldman, Suffolk
Women's GNAC Sportsmanship Team: Colby Sawyer
Women's GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team
Alexandria Rogers, Colby Sawyer
Rachael Nazzaro, Emmanuel
Hannah Blossom, Johnson & Wales
Ashlee DeBarros, Lasell
Robyn Hageman, Norwich
Lizzy Melvin, Regis
Marin Owens, Rivier
Mia Tompkins, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Lauren Lecompte, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Gabby Freeman, Simmons
Emily Manfra, Suffolk
FIRST-TEAM ALL-GNAC MEN (Top Seven Individuals)
Peter Bakker, Colby Sawyer
Matyas Csiki-Fejer, Suffolk
Brody Hale, Norwich
Ben Jones, Colby Sawyer
Korey Leonard, Norwich
Jack McNally, Norwich
Adam Saucier, Norwich
SECOND-TEAM ALL-GNAC MEN (Individuals Placing 8th-14th)
Zachary Bergeron, Norwich
Erik Brobst, Emmanuel
Patrick Carty, Emmanuel
Liam Fleming, Colby Sawyer
Kyle Hajj, Colby Sawyer
Troy Hendricks, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Jacob Hubredeau, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Men's Team Champion: Norwich
Men's Team Runner-Up: Colby Sawyer
Men's GNAC Runner of the Year: Adam Saucier, Norwich
Men's GNAC Rookie of the Year: Matyas Csiki-Fejer, Suffolk
Men's GNAC Coach of the Year: Seth Jackson, Norwich
Men's GNAC Sportsmanship Team: Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Men's GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team
Bruin Smith, Colby Sawyer
Cameron Atherton, Emmanuel
Matthew Ursillo, Johnson & Wales
Ryan Dalaba, Lasell
Andrew Turner, Norwich
Custavo Novelle-Ruddy, Regis
Yash Jagtap, Rivier
Chamroeun Chhorn, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Avery Liotta-Henderson, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Roth Santos, Suffolk