FREDERICK, Md. - For the first time since 2006, the women's cross country is back on top of the MAC, earning their sixth conference championship by just six points at the 2019 MAC Cross Country Championships. The Falcons started the race in first place and never looked back. Messiah earned eight All-MAC honors en route to their 71 point, first place finish. The Lebanon Valley Dutchmen followed closely behind the Falcons, earning second place with a score of 77 points.

Leanne Weaver (22:14.42) and Sarah Codd (22:40.84) led the charge for Messiah, finishing in fifth and ninth, respectively. Joy Galbraith was next in line for Messiah, earning a 16th-place finish with a time of 23:18.08. Cera Gaston (19th, 23:38.97) and Ashlyn Stonge (23:49.50) rounded out Messiah's top-five. 

Racing Like Champions
Messiah came into the meet as the favorite and showed us why from the start of the race. Leanne Weaver set the pace for Messiah, coming through the first 860m in 3:08.8. Sarah Codd and Joy Galbraith were right there with her, splitting a 3:09.7 and a 3:09.8, respectively. The trio was strong and steady up front and had some Falcons following in pursuit. Cera Gaston was in 28th place after the 860m split and moved into 23rd place after 1,609m (6:10.2) of the race. Gaston showed grit through the remaining portion of the 6k, advancing a total of nine places from her first split, finishing in 19th place with a time of 23:38.97.

Ashlyn Stonge and Maddison Landis were huge difference makes in today's race. Not only did the duo earn Second-Team All-MAC honors, they did so after starting the race in 49th place at the 860m splits. Stonge only got better as the race progressed moving from 49th to 37th by the 3,218m split. Pushing for more, Stonge stormed from 37th into 22nd over the last half of the race, finishing with a time of 23:49.50. Following the same  pattern, Maddison Landis came up big for Messiah, making her most notable move from the 860m split to the 3,218m split, dropping a total of 25 places. With the big first half push, Landis was able to stride her way through the line in 23:50.57 to take 23rd place, right behind Stonge. 

Teddi Powell (24:04.50) and Leigha Southall (24:05.30) were the next Falcons to come through the line, battling each other down the homestretch to take 28th and 29th, respectively to claim Third Team All-MAC honors. Southall went from 35th to 29th as the race progressed to highlight her efforts in the race. 

Kate Prothero (45th, 24:27.27), Emma Fertig (47th, 24:35.90), Brieanna Hess (52nd, 24:50.00), and Ally Austen (62nd, 25:17.7) capped off the Falcons' championship efforts. The trio's performances can't go unnoticed as each fought significantly throughout the race. Prothero made her way from 67th place at the 860m down to 45th place by the end of the meet. In similar fashion, Fertig made her biggest move going into the 3,218m split, dropping a total of 19 places from the start of the meet before making her way into 47th place.  Brieanna Hess kept the trend going, moving from 75th place at the 860m split to 52nd by the end of the race, dropping a total of 23 places. Ending the Falcons' day at the 2019 MAC Cross Country Championship was Ally Austen who took 62nd, finishing the race in 25:17.7.

What's Up Next
The Falcons have two weeks to prepare for the 2019 NCAA Mideast Regionals. This year's meet will be hosted by Lehigh University on Nov. 16 at 12:00 p.m.