Mendelson Wins Second Straight NEC Cross Country Title, Women Place Second Overall
Mendelson's win is the fifth individual title for a CCSU runner at the cross country championships.
Junior Brittany Mendelson won the 2016 Northeast Conference individual cross country title on Saturday, Oct. 29th, and guided Central Connecticut to a second-place team finish on the 5K course at Saint Francis U. in Loretto, PA. Mendelson's win marked the third consecutive year that a Blue Devil has claimed medalist honors at the NEC finals (Elizabeth Eberhardt - 2014, Mendelson - 2015, 2016).
The junior paced the Blue Devils and and was named NEC Outstanding Performer. Her time of 19:33.2 was four seconds faster than the next finisher and she turned in an average mile time of 6:17.2.
The second-place team finish for CCSU was its best team finish since winning consecutive titles in 1998 and 1999.
Sophomores Madeline Mondo and Dawn Hubbell both finished in the top-10 to earn all-conference honors. Mondo placed sixth overall and finished the course in 20:02.6, while Hubbell placed 10th with a time of 20:08.9.
Junior Victoria Cronin placed 18th and turned in a time of 20:33.9 and senior Brandy LeClair rounded out the scoring runners for Central. LeClair finished in 21:15.2 to place 28th overall.
Also running for CCSU in the 74-runner field were senior Paxton McNierney and sophomore Morgan Ricci. McNierney turned in a time of 22:36.9 and Ricci finished in 22:58.7.
Saint Francis U. won the team championship and scored 56 points. CCSU was second with 63 points, while Sacred Heart was third with 76 points.
The NCAA Regionals are on Friday, Nov. 11, at Van Cortlandt Park in The Bronx, NY. The IC4A/ECAC Championships will be held on Saturday, Nov. 19, also at Van Cortlandt Park.
