NAC Names Stewart Rookie of the Year, Munro Coach of the Year

NAC Names Stewart Rookie of the Year, Munro Coach of the Year

WATERVILLE, Me. (November 6, 2019) – Following their first-ever North Atlantic Conference (NAC) team championship on Saturday, freshman Sophie Stewart (Newark Valley, NY / Newark Valley) and head coach Robb Munro received two of the conference's highest year-end honors. Stewart received Rookie of the Year, while Coach Munro was honored as Coach of the Year.

The Delhi women captured the league team championship on Saturday at Northern Vermont Lyndon, as five Broncos finished with All-NAC honors to place first with 29 points for a 19-point victory. Sophomore Mersadie Dibbell, who anchored the Broncos' team scoring with an 11th-place finish, was recognized to the NAC Sportsmanship Team. The ladies look to end their season on an even stronger note on Friday at the USCAA National Championships in Virginia Beach, Va.

Stewart finished third overall at NAC's with a time of 23:38.3 as the Broncos' top finisher and was the fastest rookie in the 2019 NAC Championship. Leading up to the title race, Stewart earned four NAC Rookie of the Week honors, as well as one USCAA Runner of the Week award. She won her first race as a Bronco and led her team to a dual meet victory against Hartwick, conquering the 4K race with time of 17:13.4, 43 seconds ahead of the next runner. Stewart led the Broncos to a third-place finish at the SUNY Oneonta Airfield Invitational 5K with a time of 19:50.3. She also excelled in her first career 6K, finishing in a time of 25:28.2 and in 80th place in a massive 20-team field at the SUNY Geneseo Mike Woods Invitational. Stewart placed 48th at the NCAA Division I UAlbany Invitational in mid-October, completing the 5K in a time of 20:29.6. During the previous week, Stewart finished the Bronco Weekday Classic 5K in second place with a time of 21:17.51 to help SUNY Delhi win their home event.

Coach Munro guided four Broncos to First Team status at the NAC Championships and one other to the Second Team. Led by Stewart, the top four Broncos took spots three through six as all seven runners finished in the top 19. This is the first year that the Broncos competed in the NAC Women's Cross Country Championship, and lived up to expectations following a first-place nod in the conference's Pre-Championship Coaches Poll. It marked Delhi's third NCAA conference championship in the last four years, having won the American Collegiate Athletic Association title in 2016 and 2018.

The Broncos will run the 6K USCAA Championships on Friday, with a start time of 10:00 a.m. The ladies posted their highest-ever finish at USCAA's last season in third place.