Women’s Cross Country Places Program-Best Sixth at NCAA East Regionals

HOPKINTON, N.H. – Women's cross country rewrote the Rams record books Saturday afternoon as the blue-and-gold claimed sixth at the NCAA Division III East Regional Championships Saturday hosted by Suffolk at Hopkinton Fair Grounds. 

The Rams sixth-place performance is the best in program history, surpassing last season's ninth-place showing. The blue-and-gold combined for 216 points to earn a spot in the top-10 for the second time in as many seasons. Suffolk's showing in the 34-team field was the best of all Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) teams on the 6k course in the Granite State ahead of Endicott (ninth), UNE (11th), Gordon (12th) and Wentworth (31st).

RAMS RUNNERS

• Seven Suffolk student-athletes were featured in the 231-runner field.
• Sophomore Amy Pattelena paced the blue-and-gold on the course as she came through the finisher's chute in 22:32.26, good for 20th, right on the heels of CCC counterpart Nina Parziale (22:31.72) of UNE.
• Graduate student Ellie Davis crossed the tape in 22:53.87 to earn 29th.
• Seniors Sydney Fogg and Sarah Roberts earned a spot in the top 50. Fogg finished in 23:21.81, good for 43rd, while her co-captain was six spots behind thanks to a time of 23:28.21.
• In her first regional cross country race, junior Emily Concepcion put together a 24:01.80 to take 75th.
• Freshman Bailey Ford rounded out the Rams on the course with a time of 25:42.70 to claim 123rd.

ALL-NEW ENGLAND

• For her top-20 performance, Pattelena took home All-New England honors from the DIII New England Association. The accolade is awarded to the top 20 finishers at the meet.
• Pattelena and Davis both grabbed USTFCCCA All-East Region, given to student-athletes in every regional race to finish in the top 35. The

RAMS RECORDS

• All seven of Suffolk's student-athletes saved their best performances of the season for regionals as everyone clocked a personal-best 6k at the meet.

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk's sixth-place team finish is a program-record, displacing the previous mark of ninth set by the 2022 squad.
• Pattelena is the second-ever Suffolk student-athlete to pick up the feat, first since Emily Manfra garnered the distinction with a 14th-place performance in 2019.
• Pattelena earned USTFCCCA All-East Region for the first time in her career.
• Davis repeated as a USTFCCCA All-East Region honoree. She is the second-ever Ram, first since Manfra, to have multiple all-region accolades to her credit.
• The two All-East Region selections by USTFCCCA in a single season sets a Suffolk record,

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk awaits its 2023 NCAA Championship fate, with the entire field for the 2023 national championship scheduled to be announced tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 12 on NCAA.com by 3 p.m.