WELLESLEY, Mass. – Junior Kate Sanderson (West Hartford, Conn.) took first place in the individual standings to lead the No. 1 nationally ranked MIT women's cross country team to the 2024 NEWMAC Women's Cross Country Championship on Saturday at Nehoiden Golf Club at Wellesley College. The NEWMAC Championship was the 17th consecutive and 19th for MIT in program history. 

MIT executed a great team race over the 6k course, paced by Sanderson's time of 21:40.2 and junior Lexi Fernandez (Stevenson Ranch, Calif.), who finished as the runner-up with a time of 21:45. The Engineers finished with a team score of 16 points, with all five scoring runners placing in the top six. Sanderson was named the NEWMAC Athlete of the Year thanks to her individual victory. 

THE BASICS: 

• Top-Five Team Scores:   
• 1. MIT (16); 2. Coast Guard (65); Smith (95); Mount Holyoke (168); Wellesley (176) 
• Top Overall and MIT Finisher: Sanderson in 21:40.2 

HOW IT HAPPENED:  

• MIT senior Christina Crow (Mercer Island, Wash.) placed third behind Sanderson and Fernandez with a time of 21:54.3. Graduate student Gillian Roeder (Delmar, N.Y.) was fourth place in 21:56.2 to give MIT the top 4 overall finishers.  
• Coast Guard junior Claire Semerod (Centennial, Colo.) denied MIT's bid for a perfect score, earning a top five time in 21:57.3. 
• Sophomore Heather Jensen (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) was the next MIT runner across the line, completing MIT's team score while finishing sixth with a time of 21:58.5. 
• The Engineers swept spots 11, 12, and 13. First year Ava Hartman (New Orleans, La.) was 11th in 22:13.6, followed by junior Rujuta Sane (Chandler, Ariz.) who took twelfth in 22:17.4 and sophomore Megan Diulus (Akron, Ohio) who finished in 22:21.9 to take 13th. 
• Hartman earned the 2024 NEWMAC Rookie of the Year award as the top rookie finisher in the field. 
• Sophomore Liv Girand (New York, N.Y.) added a time of 22:26.9 to take 15th and junior Erin Hovendon (Laurel Park, N.C.) was 18th for MIT in 22:54.3. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: 

• The top 19 finishers in the race were awarded NEWMAC All-Conference honors.  
• Hartman is the 14th MIT runner in program history to earn the NEWMAC Rookie of the Year award. 
• Sanderson is the tenth MIT runner to be named NEWMAC Athlete of the Year. 
• Sanderson was also the NEWMAC Rookie of the Year in 2022. She is the first NEWMAC Runner to win both of those awards in her career since Coast Guard's Kaitlyn Mooney (2017-2018).

• 1) Kate Sanderson (Jr., West Hartford, Conn.) – MIT – 21:40.2 - NEWMAC Athlete of the Year
• 2) Lexi Fernandez (Jr., Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) – MIT – 21:45.3
• 3) Christina Crow (Sr., Mercer Island, Wash.) – MIT – 21:54.3
• 4) Gillian Roeder (Gr., Delmar, N.Y.) – MIT – 21:56.2
• 6) Heather Jensen (So., Manhattan Beach, Calif.) – MIT – 21:58.5
• 11) Ava Hartman (Fy., New Orleans, La.) – MIT – 22:13.6 - NEWMAC Rookie of the Year
• 12) Rujuta Sane (Jr., Chandler, Ariz.) – MIT – 22:17.4
• 13) Megan Diulus (So., Akron, Ohio) – MIT – 22:21.9
• 15) Liv Girand (So., New York, N.Y.) – MIT – 22:26.9
• 18) Erin Hovendon (Jr., Laurel Park, N.C.) – MIT – 22:54.3

UP NEXT:   

• MIT returns to action in two weeks at the NCAA DIII East Regional Championships on Saturday, November 16. The race will take place at 11:00 AM the Hopkinton State Fairground in Hopkinton, NH.  

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