2024 Liberty League Women's Cross Country Championship Results
CANTON, N.Y. – Vassar College captured its second straight conference title at the 2024 Liberty League Women's Cross Country Championships on Saturday as the Brewers placed all five of their scoring runners among the top 15.
The 2024 championship was held on the campus of St. Lawrence University at the Saints' Ronald C. Hoffmann Cross Country course. The Brewers are the first Liberty League women's cross country team to earn two consecutive titles since Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) claimed back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016.
Vassar finished the race with 36 points, narrowly defeating RPI by five en route to the Brewers' second overall Liberty League title. RPI, with all five of its scoring runners among the top 18, compiled 41 points to place second as a team. St. Lawrence University finished third with 86 points and Ithaca College rounded out the top four league schools with 107 points. The Bombers were followed by Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT, 117), Union College (132), William Smith College (227), Clarkson University (252), and Bard College (284).
Vassar sophomore Haley Schoengge paced the field on the 6,000-meter course and claimed her first individual Liberty League title, crossing the finish line under 21 minutes. She recorded a time of 20:59.6 with a 7:19.6 pace. She shattered the Hoffmann course record time of 21:01, set in 2019 by Ithaca's Parley Hannan, by two seconds. Schoenegge also broke the Liberty League individual record of 21:19.9, set in 2019 (Hannan) by over 20 seconds.
For the second straight year, Vassar proved to have the greater depth with seven runners placing among the top 21 to earn All-Liberty League honors. Vassar sophomore Adelaide Nyhan finished second on the team and fifth overall, clocking a time of 22:07.1. Senior Anna Kaigle and sophomore Norah Reade were seventh and eighth respectively with times of 22:30.0 and 22:33.8. Cayley Swaim was the Brewers' fifth scoring runner; she placed 15th with a time of 22:59.9.
RPI made a run at the title with its top three runners placing second, third and fourth in under 22 minutes. Sophomore Jules Bleskoski was the individual runner-up, finishing seven seconds behind Schoenegge. Senior Olivia Pisacano was third with a time of 21:47.1 and first-year Erin vonHousen finished fourth at 21:56.1.
The top seven finishers earned first team All-Liberty League honors. Schoenegge was joined by teammates Nyhan (5th), Kaigle (7th) as well as the RPI trio of Bleskoski (2nd), Pisacano (3rd), and vonHousen (4th). Union College senior Catherine Dacey also earned first team recognition, she was sixth at 22:13.9.
Runners finishing in spots eight through 14 earned second team All-Liberty League honors. This year's second team was headlined by Vassar's Reade (8th, 22:33.8) along with a trio of St. Lawrence runners—first-year Avery Blanchard (9th, 22:34.6), sophomore Charlotte Blake (10th, 22:36.1), and junior Adriana Cecchetelli (13th, 22:55.1). RIT senior Sierra Danieu (22:45.2) and Ithaca junior Jessica Goode (22:47.6) were also on the second team with 11th place and 12th place finishes.
The Liberty League also recognizes an honorable mention that represents individuals that finish fifteenth through twenty-first.
All-Liberty League First Team
- Haley Schoenegge, Vassar, 20:59.6
- Jules Bleskoski, RPI, 21:06.4
- Olivia Pisacano, RPI, 21:47.1
- Erin vonHousen, RPI, 21:56.1
- Adelaide Nyhan, Vassar, 22:07.1
- Catherine Dacey, Union, 22:13.9
- Anna Kaigle, Vassar, 22:30.0
All-Liberty League Second Team
- Norah Reade, Vassar, 22:33.8
- Avery Blanchard, St. Lawrence, 22:34.6
- Charlotte Blake, St. Lawrence, 22:36.1
- Sierra Danieu, RIT, 22:45.2
- Jessica Goode, Ithaca, 22:47.6
- Adriana Cecchetelli, St. Lawrence, 22:55.1
- Claudia Wolf, RPI, 22:58.2
All-Liberty League Honorable Mention
- Cayley Swaim, Vassar, 22:59.9
- Kyla Eisman, Ithaca, 23:01.8
- Joy Petersen, Ithaca, 23:02.2
- Olivia Reid, RPI, 23:06.4
- Kathryn Arbegast, RIT, 23:13.7
- Noni Pattington, Vassar, 23:15.8
- Acadia Helfand, Vassar 23:20.2