2017 Women's Cross Country Recap

The 2017 edition of the Emory women’s cross country program enjoyed a memorable campaign that included many highlights on both the team and individual levels.

One of the high points was qualifying for the NCAA D-III Championships for the 13^th straight season and for the 26^th time over the past 27 campaigns.  Emory posted a 25th -place finish at nationals.  The Eagles earned the right to compete at the Championships after registering a second-place finish at the NCAA South/Southeast Region Championships, the 27th consecutive year that they finished among the top two finishers at that event.  All of Emory's five scorers garnered all-region accolades after placing among the top 25 overall finishers, highlighted by senior Gabrielle Stravach who topped the field of 240 runners with a school-record 6K time of 20:59. Stravach's performance enabled her to be named the South/Southeast Region Athlete of the Year. Stravach finished as Emory's No. 1 runner in all seven of the races she competed in.

Other Emory athletes who brought home all-region kudos included senior Tru Powell (17^th place), freshman Abby Durfee (20^th place), junior Kayla O'Shea (23rd place), and junior Kaylee Slade (23rd).  In addition, freshman Carrie McIntrye (33rd place) also brought home an all-region award.

Emory finished third or better in six of its nine meets including the No. 1 positions at the Georgia DIII Invitational and the JSU Foothills Invitational.  The Eagles took home third place at the University Athletic Association Championships and were led by Stravach, whose second-place finish allowed her to land First Team All-UAA honors.  Emory was ranked 19th nationally in D-III in the final USTFCCCA Poll of the season.

Stravach was named the team's Most Outstanding Performer after establishing three school 6K records during the season, culminated with her time at NCAA Regionals.  Her 10th-place finish out of 279 entries at the NCAA D-III Championships represented the second-best showing by an Emory runner at nationals, with her mark of 21:02 the program's second-fastest 6K time in history.  She finished her career by ranking as the team's No. 1 runner over her final two years which spanned 14 competitions.

Abby Durfee was chosen as the Most Outstanding Newcomer.  Durfee was extremely consistent, scoring in all eight of the meets she took part in which included four top-three showings.  She brought home all-region recognition after clocking a season-best time of 22:27, which placed third on the team and 20^th out of 240 contestants, at the NCAA South/Southeast Championships.  She followed that performance by finishing third among the Emory contingent at the NCAA D-III Championships with an effort of 22:45.   

Freshman Susie Martin was tabbed as the Most Improved Runner after enjoying a strong finish to the season that saw her score for the Eagles in her final three races.  She was the team's No. 2 finisher at the NCAA D-III Championships, coming through with a season-best 6k performance of 22:41, and was No. 3 among the Eagles' contingent at the UAA Championships.

Kayla O'Shea received the Coaches' Award, symbolic of dedication, leadership and inspiration, after scoring for Emory in four of her seven competitions. O'Shea established a pair of personal bests during the season, including an effort of 22:33 that ranked 22^nd overall (fourth on the team) out of 240 runners and that enabled her to claim all-region accolades at the NCAA South/Southeast Championships. She was the Eagles' No. 2 finisher at the UAA Championships.

Honors and Awards