Jeffery named Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year; Earns All-Conference honors

Whitingham, Vt - The North Atlantic Conference announced the 2015 Women's Cross Country All-Conference team on Monday evening as senior Kateri Jeffery has been named the Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year and All-Conference honors as well.

Jeffery, a Windham, Maine native, has been selected as the NAC's first women's cross country Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year. The Nursing major is being recognized for excelling academically and athletically throughout her undergraduate experience. Off of the race course, she has been named to the Dean's or President's List every semester at Husson and has earned NAC All-Academic honors. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau (Nursing Honor Society), serves as a student nurse mentor and tutor, is the Vice President of the Organization of Student Nurses and is the cross country and track & field representative on the Eagles' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Jeffery has earned her fourth year of NAC All-Conference honors, after being named to the first team in 2012 and now 2015 and earning second team honors in 2013 and 2014. Jeffery led the Eagles as their top runner in all five of the meets she raced in. Her top finish was at the Husson Harrier Invitational (22:24) as she placed fifth. She also placed in the top-25 at the NAC Championship (13th; 22:24) and the Bowdoin Invitational (25th; 24:51).

New England College junior Abby Shafer (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) earned her third-consecutive

NAC Runner of the Year honor after completing the championship 5k course in a time of 20:07, which was 29 seconds faster than the runner-up. Colby-Sawyer freshman Martha Aschale (Cambridge, Mass.) completed the course in 21:54, good enough to place her fifth overall and to earn her the 2015 NAC Rookie of the Year.

In a vote of the conference coaches, Husson senior Kateri Jeffery (Windham, Maine) was selected as the first women's cross country Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year, Colby-Sawyer head coach Lyndsay Bisaccio was honored as the Coach of the Year and ten women's cross country student-athletes were named to the Sportsmanship Team to headline the 2015 All-Conference announcement.

Shafer, an Egg Harbor Township, N.J. native, led the way this season for the Pilgrims, as she was the team's top finisher at all meets, while also earning five NAC and two ECAC Runner of the Week honors in 2015. The two-time NAC Runner of the Year, took home the honor once again as she placed first at the 2015 NAC Championship in a time of 20:07. Beyond the NAC Championship, the junior has finished in the top two in all five of her meets this season, taking home three medalist honors and two runner-up finishes. One of her most impressive first place finishes was at the James Early Invitational, as she beat out the 409 runner field spanning both DIII and DII runners in a time of 18:04, which was 12 seconds in front of the second place finisher. Also impressive, Shafer finished second overall and was the top DIII runner at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational, crossing the line in 17:59, which was just 19 seconds shy of the first place finisher and seven seconds faster than third. She also earned second out of 300 runners at the Connecticut College Invitational (21:39), just eight seconds after the top finisher, while also earning medalist honors at the Husson Harrier Invitational (20:35) and the Mayflower Open (18:59).

Aschale, a Cambridge, Mass. native, has had a great rookie season for the Chargers. She recorded her best finish at the 2015 NAC Championship as she placed fifth, crossing the line at 21:54. The rookie recorded her season best time, 20:32, at the James Early Invitational as she placed 66th. She earned a top-15 finish at the Mayflower Open as she placed 12th in a time of 21:55. Aschale also earned a 29th place finish at the Southern Vermont Invitational (25:42) and a 166th place finish at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational (21:29). The freshman earned two NAC Rookie of the Week honors this season.

Bisaccio's squad was selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2015 title and her team did not disappoint. The Chargers earned their second-consecutive team championship after scoring 30 points with six runners in the top 15 and three in the top-five. The fourth-year mentor also saw student-athlete Martha Aschale complete the NAC Championship course in a time of 21:54, which was good enough to earn her fifth place and Rookie of the Year honors. During the season, Colby-Sawyer also placed first at the Mayflower Open and took home second place at the Southern Vermont Invitational.

The medalist and the next seven finishers at the NAC Championship are honored as All-Conference First Team runners, while the next seven are named to the All-Conference Second Team.

Joining Aschale and Shafer on the All-Conference First Team were Castleton sophomore Elizabeth Bassette (Woodstock, Vt.) and freshman Haley Kennedy (Glover, Vt.), Colby-Sawyer junior Emily Lopez (Lincolnville, Maine) and sophomore Lauren Oligny (Plaistow, N.H.), UMaine-Farmington sophomoreLaura Pulito (Brownfield, Maine) and New England College junior Allison Granata (Norwalk, Conn.).

Second team honorees include Husson's Jeffery, Colby-Sawyer junior Nicole Morris (Salisbury, Vt.) and seniors Jordan Springmann (Mont Vernon, N.H.) and Rachel Springmann (Mont Vernon, N.H.), UMaine-Farmington sophomores Hannah Emery (Detroit, Maine) and Alisha Labbe (Turner, Maine) and junior Emma Pidden (Yarmouth, Maine).

2015 NAC Women's Cross Country All-Conference Teams

First Team
Martha Aschale, Freshman, Colby-Sawyer
Elizabeth Bassette, Sophomore, Castleton
Allison Granata, Junior, New England College
Haley Kennedy, Freshman, Castleton
Emily Lopez, Junior, Colby-Sawyer
Lauren Oligny, Sophomore, Colby-Sawyer
Laura Pulito, Sophomore, UMaine-Farmington
Abby Shafer, Junior, New England College

Second Team
Hannah Emery, Sophomore, UMaine-Farmington
Kateri Jeffery, Senior, Husson
Alisha Labbe, Sophomore, UMaine-Farmington
Nicole Morris, Junior, Colby-Sawyer
Emma Pidden, Junior, UMaine-Farmington
Jordan Springmann, Senior, Colby-Sawyer
Rachel Springmann, Senior, Colby-Sawyer

Runner of the Year - Abby Shafer, Junior, New England College   
Rookie of the Year - Martha Aschale, Freshman, Colby-Sawyer 
Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year - Kateri Jeffery, Senior, Husson
Coach of the Year - Lyndsay Bisaccio, Fourth Season, Colby-Sawyer