LAKEWOOD, N.J. (November 8, 2026) – Thomas Jefferson University sophomore Olivia Grahn claimed her second consecutive Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year Award after winning the 2026 CACC Championship race on Sunday morning at Ocean County Park. Goldey-Beacom College freshman Amelia Jones, who finished sixth overall out of 53 competitors, was named the 2026 CACC Rookie of the Year. The event was hosted by Georgian Court University.
Grahn broke the 15-year-old meet record by a wide margin. She completed the 5,000-meter course in 17 minutes, nine seconds. The previous mark of 18:43 was set by the Rams’ Sarah Simonetti in 2011 at Belmont Plateau. GCU and Ocean County Park were hosted the meet for the first time. Jefferson senior Natalie McFadden was the runner up for the second year in a row. She finished two minutes behind Grahn.
Grahn and McFadden helped lead Jefferson to its fourth consecutive team championship and its 11th in the last 12 years. For the second year in a row, the Rams posted a perfect score of 15 points by producing the top five finishers. Placing third for the Rams behind McFadden was senior Hannah Powell, followed by sophomore Milana Daiute and junior Sarah Lorenz. All five are part of the All-CACC team, bestowed upon the top 15 finishers, along with Ram freshman Hayley Holland, who was 12th.
Jones’s time of 19:46 was the best among rookies in the field. Her Goldey-Beacom teammate, junior Tess Pearce, finished eighth and also earned all-conference honors.
Wilmington University saw three performers earn All-CACC recognition on its way to a runner-up finish. The Wildcats’ Ella Muniz ended up in seventh place, Morgan Scrom was 11th, and Angie Chomo 13th.
Rounding out the All-CACC team were Sophia Mauro (9th) and Nena Menard (14th) of Georgian Court University, Felician University’s Jazlynn Gonzalez (10th), and Lizbeth Castillo of Caldwell University (15th). Five of the 15 members of the all-conference team – Jones, Muniz, Gonzalez, Scrom, and Holland – are freshmen.
2026 CACC WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
(Top 15 Finishers in Individual Standings of 5000-Meter Championship Race)
1. Olivia Grahn, Jefferson, 17:09.5
2. Natalie McFadden, Jefferson, 19:09.7
3. Milana Daiute, Jefferson, 19:15.9
4. Hannah Powell, Jefferson, 19:16.0
5. Sarah Lorenz, Jefferson, 19:40.7
6. Amelia Jones, Goldey-Beacom, 19:46.3
7. Ella Muniz, Wilmington, 19:49.7
8. Tess Pearce, Goldey-Beacom, 19:59.2
9. Sophia Mauro, Georgian Court, 20:02.1
10. Jazlynn Gonzalez, Felician, 20:11.1
11. Morgan Scrom, Wilmington, 20:18.2
12. Hayley Holland Jefferson, 20:23,7
13. Angie Chomo, Wilmington, 20:40.2
14. Nena Menard, Georgian Court, 20:42.0
15. Lizbeth Castillo, Caldwell, 20:48.0
2025 CACC WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE YEAR
(First-Place Finisher in the Event)
Olivia Grahn, Thomas Jefferson University
2025 CACC WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
(Top Rookie Finisher in the Event)
Amelia Jones, Goldey-Beacom College
2025 CACC WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP TOP XVI AWARD WINNER
(Highest Cumulative Grade Point Average at the Finals Site; at least 48 credits at current institution)
Angie Chomo, Wilmington University, 4.00
Founded in 1961, the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference has been affiliated with NCAA Division II for 21 years. Conference institutions compete for championships in 18 sports – seven for men, 10 for women, and one co-ed. The CACC contains 11 full members in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Membership includes the University of Bridgeport, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Dominican University New York, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Post University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Wilmington University.