The 18th-ranked William and Mary women's cross country begins postseason competition this Saturday, hosting the 29th Colonial Athletic Association Championships on Homecoming. The 6K championship event out at Eastern State Hospital begins at 10 a.m., with an awards ceremony at 12 p.m. following the men's race. James Madison is the two-time defending conference champion.
Event Schedule
9:45 a.m. - National Anthem
10:00 a.m. - Women's 6K Race
11:00 a.m. - Men's 8K Race
12:00 p.m. - Awards Ceremony
Helpful Links
Course Maps and Directions to the Course
CAA Championships Official Site
Scouting the Tribe
William and Mary enters championship week ranked 18th in the country, after strong finishes at national-level meets like the Paul Short Invitational (second) and Pre-Nationals (sixth). W&M has also won every lower-level meet it has run a scoring team at, with victories at Richmond and twice in Williamsburg (W&M Invitational and the Tribe Open). Overall on the season, the Tribe is 85-6 with wins over nine ranked teams.
Individually, the College has been led by the duo of junior All-American Elaina Balouris (Allison Park, Pa.) and freshman Emily Stites (Wyoming, Pa.). Balouris has been named the CAA Runner of the Week twice, and led the way at the W&M Invitational and at Paul Short. Her win at the W&M Invite was the first cross country title of her career, and she finished fifth overall in the mud at Lehigh. Balouris was also second for the team at Pre-Nationals, finishing in 20th overall. Stites opened the year running unattached, winning the Spider Alumni Open and placing second to Balouris at the W&M Invitational. Donning the Green and Gold for the first time at Paul Short, she was again just inches behind Balouris in sixth place, and led the Tribe with her 19th-place showing at Pre-Nationals. Between their three races, Balouris and Stites have been separated by a total of less than two seconds.
Also running well for the Tribe has been a number of newcomers and veterans. Sophomore Jess Cygan (Bethlehem, Pa.) was the CAA Rookie of the Year last fall, and has been a consistent fixture in the scoring lineup this season. Redshirt-junior Michelle Britto (Woodbridge, Va.) also returns, after taking eighth at the CAA Championships in 2011. Freshman Meghan McGovern (North Wales, Pa.) and junior Clarissa Schick (Richmond, Va.) are both making good first impressions with the varsity squad, while seniors Katie Buenaga (Greenville, Del.) and Sara Lasker (Fredericksburg, Va.) are looking to cap their careers with a spot on the all-conference team.
Previewing the Field
Seven of the 12 All-CAA runners return from last year, including each of the top four. James Madison is looking for its third-straight conference title, and returns defending champion Katie Harman among others. In the latest regional rankings put out by the USTFCCCA, W&M is ranked second in the Southeast region, while the Dukes are 11th. Delaware is ranked 11th as well, in the Mid-Atlantic region.
W&M Conference Championships
The Tribe has won 17 conference titles, which is fifth-most among all Division I women's cross country programs. Its seven CAA titles in a row from 2003-09 is also the fifth-longest title streak all-time in Division I, alongside several other programs.
The CAAs at W&M
- This is the 14th time that the CAA Championships have been held in Williamsburg, more than any other site. However, this is the first time since 2001 that W&M has hosted.
- The championship record at Dunbar Farms for 6K is held by Mollie DeFrancesco of James Madison, who won the 2001 title in 20:57.8 (all other times were 5K races).
- The last time that the host school has won the CAA title was in 1997, by William and Mary.
- Individually, George Mason runners have had the most success at Eastern State, winning five of the 13 previous championships. W&M is next with four individual champions, while Richmond had two and UNCW and James Madison won once each.
- Eight of the 13 previous team races in Williamsburg went to the Tribe, while George Mason (three) and James Madison (two) have also had success at Eastern State.
-The CAA meet record (all courses) for 6K is 20:14, set by W&M's Ali Henderson '04 in 2003 at Hunt Valley, Md.
Event Schedule
9:45 a.m. - National Anthem
10:00 a.m. - Women's 6K Race
11:00 a.m. - Men's 8K Race
12:00 p.m. - Awards Ceremony
Helpful Links
Course Maps and Directions to the Course
CAA Championships Official Site
Scouting the Tribe
William and Mary enters championship week ranked 18th in the country, after strong finishes at national-level meets like the Paul Short Invitational (second) and Pre-Nationals (sixth). W&M has also won every lower-level meet it has run a scoring team at, with victories at Richmond and twice in Williamsburg (W&M Invitational and the Tribe Open). Overall on the season, the Tribe is 85-6 with wins over nine ranked teams.
Individually, the College has been led by the duo of junior All-American Elaina Balouris (Allison Park, Pa.) and freshman Emily Stites (Wyoming, Pa.). Balouris has been named the CAA Runner of the Week twice, and led the way at the W&M Invitational and at Paul Short. Her win at the W&M Invite was the first cross country title of her career, and she finished fifth overall in the mud at Lehigh. Balouris was also second for the team at Pre-Nationals, finishing in 20th overall. Stites opened the year running unattached, winning the Spider Alumni Open and placing second to Balouris at the W&M Invitational. Donning the Green and Gold for the first time at Paul Short, she was again just inches behind Balouris in sixth place, and led the Tribe with her 19th-place showing at Pre-Nationals. Between their three races, Balouris and Stites have been separated by a total of less than two seconds.
Also running well for the Tribe has been a number of newcomers and veterans. Sophomore Jess Cygan (Bethlehem, Pa.) was the CAA Rookie of the Year last fall, and has been a consistent fixture in the scoring lineup this season. Redshirt-junior Michelle Britto (Woodbridge, Va.) also returns, after taking eighth at the CAA Championships in 2011. Freshman Meghan McGovern (North Wales, Pa.) and junior Clarissa Schick (Richmond, Va.) are both making good first impressions with the varsity squad, while seniors Katie Buenaga (Greenville, Del.) and Sara Lasker (Fredericksburg, Va.) are looking to cap their careers with a spot on the all-conference team.
Previewing the Field
Seven of the 12 All-CAA runners return from last year, including each of the top four. James Madison is looking for its third-straight conference title, and returns defending champion Katie Harman among others. In the latest regional rankings put out by the USTFCCCA, W&M is ranked second in the Southeast region, while the Dukes are 11th. Delaware is ranked 11th as well, in the Mid-Atlantic region.
W&M Conference Championships
The Tribe has won 17 conference titles, which is fifth-most among all Division I women's cross country programs. Its seven CAA titles in a row from 2003-09 is also the fifth-longest title streak all-time in Division I, alongside several other programs.
| Most Conference Titles in Division I | |||
| Team | Conference(s) | Number | |
| 1. | Eastern Kentucky | Ohio Valley Conference | 25 |
| 2. | BYU | High Country, Mountain West, Western Athletic, West Coast Conferences | 23 |
| 3. | N.C. State | Atlantic Coast Conference | 21 |
| 4. | Portland | West Coast Conference | 19 |
| T5. | William and Mary | Colonial Athletic Association | 17 |
| T5. | Northern Arizona | Big Sky Conference | 17 |
| Longest Consecutive Winning Streak | ||||
| Team | Conference(s) | Titles | Years | |
| 1. | BYU | HCAC, MWC, WAC | 19 | 1988-2006 |
| 2. | Eastern Kentucky | OVC | 18 | 1982-99 |
| 3. | Stanford | Pac-10 | 12 | 1996-2007 |
| 4. | Colorado | Big 12 | 9 | 1999-2007 |
| T5. | William and Mary | CAA | 7 | 2003-09 |
| T5. | N.C. State | ACC | 7 | 1987-93 |
| T5. | Boston University | America East | 7 | 1996-2002 |
| T5. | Iona | MAAC | 7 | 2005-Present |
| T5. | Appalachian State | Southern | 7 | 1986-92 |
| T5. | Jackson State | SWAC | 7 | 1979-85 |
| T5. | Southern Utah | Summit | 7 | 1998-2004 |
| T5. | Portland | WCC | 7 | 2002-08 |
The CAAs at W&M
- This is the 14th time that the CAA Championships have been held in Williamsburg, more than any other site. However, this is the first time since 2001 that W&M has hosted.
- The championship record at Dunbar Farms for 6K is held by Mollie DeFrancesco of James Madison, who won the 2001 title in 20:57.8 (all other times were 5K races).
- The last time that the host school has won the CAA title was in 1997, by William and Mary.
- Individually, George Mason runners have had the most success at Eastern State, winning five of the 13 previous championships. W&M is next with four individual champions, while Richmond had two and UNCW and James Madison won once each.
- Eight of the 13 previous team races in Williamsburg went to the Tribe, while George Mason (three) and James Madison (two) have also had success at Eastern State.
-The CAA meet record (all courses) for 6K is 20:14, set by W&M's Ali Henderson '04 in 2003 at Hunt Valley, Md.
