NCAA DIVISION II EAST REGION CHAMPIONSHIP — COMPLETE RESULTS

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Led once again by the duo of Kassandra Nolet (Fort Erie, Ont.) and Marcy Colca (Getzville, N.Y.), the Daemen women's cross country team raced to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Division II East Region Championships held today on the campus of Roberts Wesleyan College. It marked the first East Region Championship meet to be held since 2019, and it featured competing teams from the East Coast Conference, Northeast-10 Conference and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. 

Daemen placed four runners among the top 45 finishers and accumulated 165 points in the team standings. It marks the Wildcats' fourth top-10 finish at the regional championship meet since 2015, and first since 2017. Daemen's team score was just six points more than the best the Wildcats have recorded in a regional championship meet (159 in 2016). The Wildcats entered today's race ranked No. 5 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II East Region poll.

American International, the top-ranked team in the region, had had five runners among the top 20 finishers and captured the regional championship with 42 points. The Yellow Jackets edged second-place Stonehill (54 points). Roberts Wesleyan, which won the ECC championship on their home course two weeks ago, raced to a third-place finish today, totaling 90 points in the team standings. As the top three finishing teams today, American International, Stonehill and Roberts Wesleyan have earned bids to the NCAA Division II National Championships which are set for November 20 in Saint Leo, Florida. 

Fransiscah Cherotich of American International took individual medalist honors as she completed the 6K race with a time of 21:10.8. Cherotich crossed the finish line seven seconds ahead of teammate Mercyline Kimaiyo (21:17.4) who was the runner-up. The race included 139 total competitors. 


HIGHLIGHTS

• Both Nolet and Colca earned All-Region honors from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) by virtue of their top-25 finishes today. 
• Nolet posted a career-best 6K time of 22:11.5 and placed 13th - the highest finish for a Daemen runner at the East Region Championship since Amy Trabert placed 13th in 2017. Nolet's time was more than 90 seconds better than her previous personal best (23:59.2) which she set at the 2019 regional championship meet when she placed 34th. Nolet was Daemen's top finisher for the sixth time this season and for the 12th time in the last 13 meets dating back to 2019.
• Competing in the first 6K of her collegiate career, Colca placed 17th with a time of 22:26.4. She placed fifth among freshmen competitors, and is the first Daemen freshman to garner All-Region recognition during the program's NCAA Division II era.
• In the final race of her collegiate career, senior Sarah Golas (Alden, N.Y.) placed 43rd with a career-best time of 23:32.6. Golas shaved nearly two minutes off her previous personal best (25:19.90) which she set at the 2018 regional championship meet. She improved her regional standing by some 44 positions after placing 87th at the 2019 regional championship meet.
• Courtney Merrill (Speedway, Ind.) wrapped up her first collegiate cross country season by placing 45th with a time of 23:42.1. The junior runner made a full-time transition to cross country/track and field after previously competing in triathlon and track and field.
• Freshman Emma Cain (Lockport, N.Y.) rounded out the Wildcats' scorers today by placing 53rd with a time of 23:52.7
• Sophomore Camryn Bailey (Geneva, N.Y.) and redshirt junior Hannah Thomas (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) also competed for the Wildcats today. Bailey placed 74th with a time of 24:21.6, and Thomas finished in 87th place with a time of 24:54.3.

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Follow the Daemen College women's cross country program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenXC_TRACK.