The men’s and women’s cross country teams dominated in the Big Apple this past weekend as the women, ranked No. 5 in the country, won the Big East Championship, and the men finished the meet with an impressive third-place spot. The race took place at Van Cortland Park in the Bronx on Oct. 31.

The women had four runners finish in the top 10 and totaled a combined 40 points to garner the title. Senior Frances Koons was the first Wildcat to cross the line and the second in the entire race. She finished just three seconds after the winner with a time of 20:13. Freshman Bogdana Mimic finished fifth at the 20:30 mark, followed by junior Kaitlyn Tallman, who finished seventh overall with a time of 20:47. Sophomore Amanda Marino was the first sophomore to reach the finish line with a time of 20:50, good for ninth overall, while sophomore Sarah Morrison came in with a time of 21:05. Sophomores Callie Hogan and Ali Smith finished at 21:16 and 21:21, respectively.

All the members of the women’s team were named to the Big East squad as a result of finishing in the top 25. The coaching staff, with Head Coach Gina Procaccio and Assistant Coach Meghan Courtney were given the prestigious Big East Staff of the Year Award.

The men’s team had a strong finish as well, totaling 78 points and having two runners finish in the top 10. Sophomore Ben Guest was the first ‘Nova finisher, crossing the line fifth with a time of 24:39, while classmate Hugo Beamish finished sixth with a time of 24:40. Sophomore Keith Capecci finished with a time of 25:08 for 20th place. Junior Daniel Lewis was 23rd, while sophomore Carl Mackenzie was right behind, finishing 24th. Senior Stephen Curley was 33rd to cross the line, and sophomore Brian Chris was 36th.

Guest, Beamish, Campecci, Lewis and Mackenzie all were awarded All-Big East honors. The Georgetown Hoyas won the championship with 35 points, followed by a distant second Notre Dame, which had 64 team points.