STONY BROOK, N.Y. (Oct. 25, 2026) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy women's cross country team captured its fifth Skyline Conference Championship in the last eight seasons on Sunday morning at the 2026 Skyline Conference Women's Cross Country Championship, hosted by St. Joseph's-Long Island at Stony Brook University. The Mariners finished first out of nine teams with a team score of 62 points, ahead of runner-up St. Joseph's-Long Island (91 points) and rival SUNY Maritime, which placed third with 92 points. The Blue and Gray posted three top-10 finishes and had three runners earn First Team All-Skyline Conference honors.
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Sophomore Eleanor Romeo (Carson City, Nev.) led the way for the Blue and Gray, crossing the finish line in second place with a time of 24:45.8. Classmates Lili Telvi (Southampton, N.Y.) and Harmony Taylor (Morgantown, Ky.) finished in fourth and sixth place, respectively, with Telvi coming across in 25:13.7 and Taylor posting a personal-best time of 25:55.0. With top-seven finishes on the day, Romeo, Telvi, and Taylor all earned First Team All-Skyline Conference honors.
Additionally, seventh-year head coach Kayla Koelbel was selected by her peers as the Skyline Coach of the Year.
Junior Karley Rush (Trinity, Fla.) followed with a 26th-place finish in a personal-best time of 29:38.3, while freshman Juli Lacroix (Kennett Square, Pa.) closed out the Merchant Marine scoring with a 30th-place showing in a personal-best time of 31:12.3.
The Mariners return to competition on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the ECAC Division III North Championship Meet at the Hudson Valley Sports Dome in Milton, N.Y. Official start times for the ECAC Championships will be announced closer to the event. Stay logged on to www.USMMASports.com and our social media pages (links below) for more information as the date draws near.
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