The 2023 Liberty League Women's Cross Country major award recipients as voted by the conference's head coaches following the NCAA Championship—
RUNNER OF THE YEAR: Alli Sibold, Senior, St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University senior
Alli Sibold has been selected as the 2023 Liberty League Runner of the Year. Sibold finished 20th at the NCAA Division III Championship (21:27.5) becoming the Saints' first All-America runner since 2014. She improved her time by nearly a minute (58 seconds) from when she first raced the course this season at Pre-Nationals, where she was 8th with a time of 22:13.3. At the Mideast Regional, she was fourth with a personal-best time of 21:15.6 as she helped St. Lawrence to a fourth-place team finish, earning an at-large bid to the national championship meet. Sibold won the league championship in 21:44.0 with a margin of victory of 7.3 seconds as the Saints finished second. A six-time Liberty League Performer of the Week selection, Sibold also recorded first-place finishes at the Plattsburgh Cardinal Classic (5K, 18:54.3), the Hamilton Short Course Invitational (4K, 14:08.7), and St. Lawrence's own Ronald C. Hoffmann Invitational (6K, 21:53.2).
CO-ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jules Bleskoski, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute first-year
Jules Bleskoski was named Liberty League Co-Rookie of the Year. Bleskoski earned All-Liberty League Second Team honors after finishing 13th and second for RPI at the 2023 Liberty League Championship with a time of 22:47.4 as the Engineers finished third. At the Mideast Regional, she posted a personal-best time of 21:50.7. Following that performance, she was one of three Liberty League runners to earn an individual invitation to the NCAA Division III Championship, where she crossed the finish line in 22:54.9 for 163rd among 292 runners.
CO-ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Haley Schoenegge, Vassar College
Vassar College first-year
Haley Schoenegge was named Liberty League Co-Rookie of the Year. Schoenegge was the top Liberty League first-year finisher at both the conference championship and the NCAA Division III Championship. At the Liberty League Championship, she posted a time of 22:15.0, placing third and first for the Brewers, helping the team to its first Liberty League title in program history. At the Mideast Regional, she was 26th with a personal-best time of 22:05.7 and the Brewers placed sixth, earning an at-large bid to the national championship meet. At the NCAA Championship, she was 100th of 292 with a time of 22:31.1, the highest individual finish for a Brewer since 2019. The four-time Liberty League Rookie of the Week also finished among the top three at Bard's Fred Pavlich Invitational, finishing third at 22:47.5.
COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR: Vassar College – James McCowan, head coach
The Vassar College coaching staff, led by 18th year head coach
James McCowan garnered Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year accolades. McCowan guided the Brewers to their first Liberty League title in program history with seven runners earning All-Liberty League honors. Unranked in the USTFCCA preseason poll, Vassar entered the league championship ranked 20th. After winning the Liberty League title by six points, Vassar finished sixth at the NCAA Mideast Regional and earned an at-large selection to the NCAA Division III Championship. At the national championship meet, the Brewers posted a program-best 23rd-place finish. Vassar recorded three additional first-place finishes at its own Ron Stonitsch Invitational, Bard's Fred Pavlich Invitational, and the ECAC Women's Championship. They were also third at Connecticut College's Blue Race among 26 teams. McCowan is assisted by Meghan Cook and Eli Bashant.
All-Liberty League First Team
- Alli Sibold, St. Lawrence, 21:44.0
- Olivia Pisacano, RPI, 21:51.3
- Haley Schoenegge, Vassar, 22:15.0
- Emma Palumbo, St. Lawrence, 22:19.3
- Cat Dacey, Union, 22:27.8
- Amelia Gilbert, RIT, 22:30.8
- Kyla Eisman, Ithaca, 22:32.5
All-Liberty League Second Team
- Norah Reade, Vassar, 22:33.5
- Cayley Swaim, Vassar, 22:34.1
- Anika Mueller-Hickler, Vassar, 22:36.3
- Sierra Danieu, RIT, 22:39.2
- Hannah Bennett, St. Lawrence, 22:44.2
- Jules Bleskoski, RPI, 22:47.4
- Charlotte Blake, St. Lawrence, 22:48.4
All-Liberty League Honorable Mention
- Katie Cobos, RIT, 22:52.7
- Leah Goodloe, RPI, 22:54.9
- Jessica Goode, Ithaca, 22:59.7
- Ava Fowler, Ithaca, 23:01.6
- Anna Kaigle, Vassar, 23:04.7
- Amaavi Miriyagalla, Vassar, 23:15.3
- Acadia Helfand, Vassar, 23:16.3
* All-Liberty League based on place finish at the 2023 Liberty League Championship