The Point Park men’s and women’s cross-country teams earned four all-conference honors after competing in the 2024 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championship on Saturday, October 26 in Wheeling, West Virginia.
In the Pioneers’ first Division II conference championship, the women’s team ranked third in the 6K and the men’s team ranked seventh in the 8K.
A total of 90 MEC runners toed the line in the women’s 6k race. Point Park’s leading runner, Cassondra O’Connor, finished second overall with a time of 22 minutes and 14.13 seconds.
“I am extremely grateful and blessed to have finished up the MEC championship with that result, both individually and as a team,” O’Connor said. “We as a team should be so proud of ourselves and excited for the next season, indoor track, where we can roll into the next competitions confident and ready.”
Allison Plassio and Jana Schmid were the next Pioneers to cross the finish line with 12th and 17th place finishes respectively. O’Connor, Plassio and Schmid each earned All-MEC honors.
Following the meet, the league’s head coaches voted O’Connor as MEC Runner of the Year and MEC Freshman of the Year. She is the first athlete in school history to receive either MEC award.
“I couldn’t be more satisfied,” O’Connor said. “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t worked and trained hard to earn [these awards]. I cannot thank my teammates, coaches, and family enough for the support and guidance along this journey of a season.”
Although O’Connor is a sophomore academically, she is in her first year on the cross country team. She earned three first-place finishes and two second-place finishes this season.
Women’s cross-country earned a combined team score of 94 points, putting the Pioneers in third place behind Davis & Elkins and Charleston. The team improved its conference placement from last year, after earning a sixth place finish in the River State Conference (RSC) Championship in 2023.
“With the support from my teammates, I was able to find a sort of purpose in running,” O’Connor said. “Our team has been through the thick of it this season and just being there for one another has allowed for the great successes to come.”
Out of 95 men’s runners in the 8k, sophomore Luke McKenna led the way for the Pioneers with a ninth place finish and a 25:54.39 time. He was the only Point Park men’s runner to earn All-MEC honors. When comparing last season to this season, McKenna shared that although the meets operate similarly, the competition is significantly tougher in the MEC.
“I’m feeling happy about the first conference meet,” McKenna said. “It feels great to make the first team after just my first year in the MEC and hopefully as I improve I can do a lot better.”
The next placements for Point Park were Jannik Windelband finishing in 31st place, followed by Josh Gosselin in 50th place.
The Point Park men’s runners combined for a score of 184 points, putting the team in seventh place overall.
Davis & Elkins walked away with both men’s and women’s MEC cross-country titles. Both first place finishers were Davis & Elkins runners, as well as six of the top 10 runners in the 8k.
Point Park cross-country concludes the season on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Saint Francis Red Flash Rally in Loretto. Indoor track season is set to kick off in December.
