BETHPAGE, N.Y. (Nov. 3, 2024) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy women's cross country team captured the 2024 Skyline Conference Championship on Sunday morning at nearby Bethpage Polo at the Park. It was the Mariners' fourth conference title in the last six seasons, as they finished with a team score of 58 points, ahead of second place SUNY Maritime (70 points) and third place Mount St. Mary (102).
Meet Link
For the second-straight year, senior
Katherine Kerchner (Reading, Pa.) was the individual champion of the 6K race, as she broke the tape in 23:35.0. With the first-place finish, Kerchner earned Skyline Runner of the Year honors.
Sophomore
Victoria Crofford (Fairfax, Va.) finished second with a time of 25:14.9, and freshman
Morgan Doll (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) produced USMMA's third top-10 finish, as she crossed the finish line in sixth place in 26:17.6.
With top-seven finishes on the day, Kerchner, Crofford and Doll all earned First Team All-Skyline accolades. Additionally, fifth-year head coach
Kayla Koelbel was selected by her peers as the Skyline Coach of the Year.
Sophomore
Katie Bray (Trussville, Ala.) placed 17th with a time of 28:29.5 and freshman
Karley Rush (Trinity, Fla.) closed out the Merchant Marine scoring with a 33rd-place showing (32 points) in 30:45.6.
Up next, the Mariners will travel Stockton University on Saturday, Nov. 16, for the 2024 NCAA DIII Metro Region Championship Meet. Starting gun of the 6K race is scheduled for 12-noon at Stockton's home course on campus. More information on the Regional Championships can be found
at this link.
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