LAKEWOOD, N.J. – Elon continued its run of dominance in the Coastal Athletic Association on Friday morning, claiming its sixth women's cross country title in the past seven years behind a standout performance from individual champion
Katie Blount at Ocean County Park in Lakewood, New Jersey.
Elon showcased its depth with a program-record seven runners finishing among the top 15 individually in the women's 6K race. Blount – the Phoenix's first CAA individual champion since 2021 – outpaced the field by more than six seconds with a time of 19:55.0. The redshirt junior became Elon's fifth women's cross country individual conference champion, joining Meg Crawford (1996; SAC), Coralea Geraniotis (2018; CAA), Scolasticah Kemei (2019; CAA) and Maria Ahm (2020, 2021; CAA).
Abby Beville (3rd, 20:29.8),
Hannah Weber (4th, 20:42.1),
Kate Buerger (8th, 21:18.7),
Sarah Petitjean (12th, 21:24.3),
Jasmine Young (14th, 21:28.5) and
Quinn Smith (15th, 21:30.2) each crossed the finish line among the top 15 to join Blount as All-CAA honorees with top-15 finishes. Beville and Weber – both of which ran personal-record times Friday – earned All-CAA honors for the second straight year (2024, 2025), while Blount became a three-time all-conference performer (2022, 2023, 2025). Buerger played a key role in the victory, smashing her former 6K personal record by more than 35 seconds with a 21:18.7 for eighth place.
Elon (28 points) bested runner-up William & Mary (68) by 40 points, marking the most lopsided CAA women's cross country championship victory since the Phoenix bested the field by 51 points to win the 2020 title. Northeastern (100), Monmouth (102) and College of Charleston (141) rounded out the top five in the women's race.
The championship is the program's seventh conference title overall. Elon previously claimed five consecutive CAA championships from 2019 to 2023 and a South Atlantic Conference crown in 1996. It also marked the first conference title for the Phoenix under second-year head coach
Mark Rinker.
The Elon men finished seventh in the 8K race with 201 points, led by senior
Nate Mars, who placed 35th with a personal-record time of 25:02.4. Mars was one of seven Phoenix who clocked personal records in the men's race and was joined by
Juan Pablo Castillo-Zima (39th, 25:08.7),
Caden Strickland (47th, 25:18.8) and
Jack Kane (48th, 25:20.3) as top 50 finishers.
CAA CHAMPIONSHIPS – RESULTS
WOMEN'S 6K
Team
1. Elon (28 points)
2. William & Mary (68)
3. Northeastern (100)
4. Monmouth (102)
5. College of Charleston (141)
6. Stony Brook (161)
7. Hofstra (214)
8. Campbell (219)
9. Towson (255)
10. Hampton (299)
11. North Carolina A&T (322)
12. UNCW (333)
Individual
1.
Katie Blount (19:55.0)
3.
Abby Beville (20:29.8) – personal record
4.
Hannah Weber (20:42.1) – personal record
8.
Kate Buerger (21:18.7) – personal record
12.
Sarah Petitjean (21:24.3)
14.
Jasmine Young (21:28.5)
15.
Quinn Smith (21:30.2)
16.
Amelia Summers (21:34.3) – personal record
18.
Madi Galindo (21:37.6)
25.
Julia Bell (21:51.0)
43.
Cami Glebocki (22:17.6)
59.
Ashland Dickel (22:35.7)
MEN'S 8K
Team
1. Hofstra (44 points)
2. Northeastern (51)
3. Stony Brook (67)
4. William & Mary (69)
5. Monmouth (118)
6. College of Charleston (175)
7. Elon (201)
8. Campbell (257)
9. UNCW (266)
10. Hampton (326)
11. North Carolina A&T (326)
Individual
35.
Nate Mars (25:02.4) – personal record
39.
Juan Pablo Castillo-Zima (25:08.7) – personal record
47.
Caden Strickland (25:18.8)
48.
Jack Kane (25:20.3) – personal record
53.
Luke Chisum (25:29.2) – personal record
57.
Evan Taylor (25:35.7)
79.
Max Bixler (26:20.6) – personal record
81.
Franklin Wimbish (26:22.1) – personal record
84.
Bryan Hampson (26:33.5)
86.
Colby Robbins (26:50.4)
93.
Seth Steiner (27:18.5) – personal record
UP NEXT
Elon sets its sights on the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships, hosted at Panorama Farms in Earlysville, Virginia, on Nov. 14.
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