UTICA, N.Y. – SUNY Cobleskill won its fifth straight North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) women's cross country championship, which was held on the campus of SUNY Institute of Technology in Utica, N.Y., on Saturday.  The Fighting Tigers won with a team score of 67 points after their five top runners finished in the top 21 overall.

Morrisville State College came in second place with a team score of 71 and had three top-10 finishers, while Cazenovia College took third place with 76 points.  Rounding out the top-five team finishes were Wells College (82) and Penn State Abington (104).  The rest of the field finished as follows: Penn State Berks (6^th, 163 points); Lancaster Bible College (7^th, 201 points); Keuka College (8^th, 209 points); SUNYIT (9^th, 220 points); College of Saint Elizabeth (10^th, 259 points); and Gallaudet University (11^th, 269 points); and Wilson College (12^th, Did not have enough runners to qualify for a team finish).

Individually, Morrisville State senior Billie Jo Hinds (Blossvale, N.Y.) was the top finisher after completing the five-kilometer course in 20:37, beating out Wells College junior and two-time NEAC Runner of the Year Emily Middlebrook (Newark, N.Y.) by five seconds.  Hinds, who earned a NEAC Runner of the Week award earlier this season, was named the NEAC Runner of the Year for her efforts.

SUNY Cobleskill freshman Taylor Tommell (Guilderland, N.Y.) was honored as the NEAC Rookie of the Year after being the first rookie runner to cross the finish line at the championship event, where she came in third place out of the 84-runner field with a time of 20:52.  Tommell came into the race as the conference's reigning Runner of the Week.  

Rounding out the individual award winners was Morrisville State's Derek Powers, who was voted by his peers as the NEAC Coach of the Year after guiding the Mustangs to four top-five team finishes on the season.

Rounding out the top-five runners were Penn State Abington freshman Valerie Santangelo (Abington, Pa.) and Wells College freshman Deaven Theriault (Ludlow, Mass.), who both finished in 21:01.  Below are the full NEAC All-Conference First Team, Second Team and Third Team selections, which were chosen based on finish times at the championship race.
                                                        

All-Conference Team Selections

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The North Eastern Athletic Conference has twelve NCAA Division III member institutions which include: Cazenovia College, College of St. Elizabeth, Gallaudet University, Keuka College, Lancaster Bible College, Pennsylvania State University - Abington, Pennsylvania State University - Berks, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Institute of Technology, SUNY Morrisville State College, Wells College, and Wilson College.  Bryn Athyn College and Pennsylvania College of the Technology will both join the conference as full members in 2014-15.  Associate members are: Cedar Crest College (W Swimming), D'Youville College (M Volleyball), Hilbert College (M Lacrosse & M Volleyball), Medaille College (M&W Lacrosse & M Volleyball), Penn State Altoona (M Volleyball) and Rutgers University - Camden (M Golf & M Tennis).  The North Eastern Athletic Conference has partnered with the North Atlantic Conference in the sports of men's and women's tennis.