RICHMOND, Va. – Elon's
Katie Blount and
Mark Rinker were named the Coastal Athletic Association Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively, on Thursday, highlighting a dominant season for the Phoenix.
The awards were determined by a vote of the league's head coaches.
The full list of CAA women's and men's cross country postseason honorees and All-CAA performers can be viewed on CAASports.com.
Blount captured the individual title at the CAA Championship, posting a winning time of 19:55.0 – the second-fastest mark in championship history. She set Elon's 5K and 6K program records in back-to-back meets at the adidas XC Challenge (16:41.4) and the prestigious Paul Short Run (19:37.1), where she finished runner-up with the fifth-fastest time in event history. A junior, Blount closed her record-breaking campaign with a 33rd-place showing at the NCAA Southeast Regional. She becomes the fourth Elon athlete to earn CAA Runner of the Year honors since 2018, joining Coralea Geraniotis (2018), Scolasticah Kemei (2019), and Maria Ahm (2020, 2021).
In his second season leading the program, Rinker guided Elon to its sixth CAA women's cross country championship in seven years. The Phoenix dominated the CAA Championship, with a program-record seven runners earning All-CAA honors by placing in the top 15, and nine total runners finishing among the top 18.
2025 CAA Women's Cross Country Postseason Honors
Runner of the Year: Katie Blount, Elon
Rookie of the Year: Perry Irons, William & Mary; Isabella Spagnoli, Hofstra
Coach of the Year: Mark Rinker, Elon
All-CAA Team
Abby Beville, Elon
Katie Blount, Elon
Kate Buerger, Elon
Deavion Deleon, North Carolina A&T
Keira Gamily, Northeastern
Shaylen Goslar, Stony Brook
Perry Irons, William & Mary
Brianna Jucewicz, Monmouth
Sarah Petitjean, Elon
Kristen Sarnicola, Monmouth
Quinn Smith, Elon
Isabella Spagnoli, Hofstra
Hannah Weber, Elon
Molly Weithman, William & Mary
Jasmine Young, Elon
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