Defending Champs QU Women’s Cross Country Selected as 2016 MAAC Preseason Favorite
8/19/2016 2:04:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
Bobcats (116 Points) Edged Iona (112) in Preseason Coaches' Poll
HAMDEN, Connecticut – The 2015 MAAC Championship winning Quinnipiac women's cross country team earned the top spot in the 2016 MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league office on Friday, August 19, 2016. After back-to-back second place finishes in 2013 and 2014, the Bobcats came through in glorious fashion as Quinnipiac dethroned the 10-time defending MAAC Champions Iona to pick up the program's first MAAC title.
The Bobcats earned the top spot in the poll with six first place votes and 116 total points as voted on by the league's 11 head coaches. Quinnipiac's 116 total points just edged out the rival Gaels who earned the five remaining first place votes and totaled 112 points in the poll. Monmouth was voted third with 95 points while Marist (87) and Canisius (69) earned a spot in the top five. Rounding out the poll is Rider (68), Manhattan (56), Siena (56), Fairfield (32), Niagara (24) and Saint Peter's (11).
The reigning MAAC Coach of the Year Carolyn Martin, now entering her eighth season manning the helm at Quinnipiac, has plenty of championship experience as she led the Bobcats to four straight Northeast Conference titles before joining the MAAC in 2013. The four conference titles in her first four years helped continue an NEC record streak of eight straight conference championships for the Bobcats. The three-time Coach of the Year looks to lead the Bobcats to prolonged success in the MAAC and will have the added benefit of the return of three of the four All-MAAC performers who helped lead the way to the conference title.
Headlining the returning class is senior Niamh Ashe (East Islip, New York) who is running a streak of 15 consecutive meets wherein she has finished first on the team. A three-time All-MAAC runner, including a career-best second place finish at the MAAC Championships in 2015, Ashe has cemented herself as the top runner for this Quinnipiac program and one of the best of all-time. Ashe will push in her senior season to become just the second Bobcat (Kristen Stevens '10) in program history to earn four All-Conference honors.
Among the top runners returning with Ashe on the 2016 squad include the dynamic junior class duo of Emily Wolff (Highlands Ranch, Colorado) and Kaleigh Roberts (Higganum, Connecticut). Wolff came through with an impressive fifth place finish at the 2015 MAAC Championships to earn her first career All-MAAC honor while she followed that up with a 35th place finish at the 2015 NCAA Northeast Regional, improving 92 spots on her 127th place finish at the 2014 NCAA Northeast Regional. Roberts backed up her 13th place result at the 2014 MAAC Championships with an eighth place finish in 2015 to earn her second career All-MAAC honor. The pairing of Wolff and Roberts have competed in 11 career events together and have finished back-to-back on the team leaderboard in every event.
Senior leadership will come in the form of Cameron Chaplen (Thomaston, Connecticut) and fifth-years Chelsea Savage (Pembroke, Massachusetts) and Medinah Nabadduka (Windsor, Connecticut). Chaplen enters her senior year with more career appearances (18) than any runner on the 2016 squad while she came up with a career high 20th place finish at the 2015 MAAC Championships. Both Savage and Nabadduka missed the 2015 season due to injury but are experienced competitors and ready to make some noise in their final season.
Seven freshmen join the roster in 2016 and only add depth to an already deep roster that includes rising sophomores Mary Watters (Pearl River, New York) and Kaitlyn Hebert (Glastonbury, Connecticut).
The 2016 MAAC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships take place on Saturday, October 29 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Florida and will be broadcasted on ESPN3. The 2016 season opens on Saturday, September 3 as the men and women will be competing at the Stony Brook Invitational.
| MAAC Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll | ||
| Rank | Team (1st Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. | Quinnipiac (6) | 116 |
| 2. | Iona (5) | 112 |
| 3. | Monmouth | 95 |
| 4. | Marist | 87 |
| 5. | Canisius | 69 |
| 6. | Rider | 68 |
| T7. | Manhattan | 56 |
| T7. | Siena | 56 |
| 9. | Fairfield | 32 |
| 10. | Niagara | 24 |
| 11. | Saint Peter's | 11 |
The reigning MAAC Coach of the Year Carolyn Martin, now entering her eighth season manning the helm at Quinnipiac, has plenty of championship experience as she led the Bobcats to four straight Northeast Conference titles before joining the MAAC in 2013. The four conference titles in her first four years helped continue an NEC record streak of eight straight conference championships for the Bobcats. The three-time Coach of the Year looks to lead the Bobcats to prolonged success in the MAAC and will have the added benefit of the return of three of the four All-MAAC performers who helped lead the way to the conference title.
Headlining the returning class is senior Niamh Ashe (East Islip, New York) who is running a streak of 15 consecutive meets wherein she has finished first on the team. A three-time All-MAAC runner, including a career-best second place finish at the MAAC Championships in 2015, Ashe has cemented herself as the top runner for this Quinnipiac program and one of the best of all-time. Ashe will push in her senior season to become just the second Bobcat (Kristen Stevens '10) in program history to earn four All-Conference honors.
Among the top runners returning with Ashe on the 2016 squad include the dynamic junior class duo of Emily Wolff (Highlands Ranch, Colorado) and Kaleigh Roberts (Higganum, Connecticut). Wolff came through with an impressive fifth place finish at the 2015 MAAC Championships to earn her first career All-MAAC honor while she followed that up with a 35th place finish at the 2015 NCAA Northeast Regional, improving 92 spots on her 127th place finish at the 2014 NCAA Northeast Regional. Roberts backed up her 13th place result at the 2014 MAAC Championships with an eighth place finish in 2015 to earn her second career All-MAAC honor. The pairing of Wolff and Roberts have competed in 11 career events together and have finished back-to-back on the team leaderboard in every event.
Senior leadership will come in the form of Cameron Chaplen (Thomaston, Connecticut) and fifth-years Chelsea Savage (Pembroke, Massachusetts) and Medinah Nabadduka (Windsor, Connecticut). Chaplen enters her senior year with more career appearances (18) than any runner on the 2016 squad while she came up with a career high 20th place finish at the 2015 MAAC Championships. Both Savage and Nabadduka missed the 2015 season due to injury but are experienced competitors and ready to make some noise in their final season.
Seven freshmen join the roster in 2016 and only add depth to an already deep roster that includes rising sophomores Mary Watters (Pearl River, New York) and Kaitlyn Hebert (Glastonbury, Connecticut).
The 2016 MAAC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships take place on Saturday, October 29 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Florida and will be broadcasted on ESPN3. The 2016 season opens on Saturday, September 3 as the men and women will be competing at the Stony Brook Invitational.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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