NEW ORLEANS, La. – The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its academic honors for the 2024 season and the UMass Dartmouth women's team was recognized with Division III All-Academic Team honors.
Under the direction of third-year head coach
Ryan O'Connell, the Corsairs posted a cumulative grade point average of 3.48 to earn this year's recognition. Led by junior captain
Sarah Lynch - an All-LEC First Team honoree – the Corsairs posted three finishes in the top-10 throughout the season, including highest team finish at the NCAA East Regional Championships in program history.
The Corsairs opened the 2025 campaign taking ninth overall at the Suffolk Short Course Classic, which saw numerous personal bests across the board in the 3k event. The squad then placed sixth overall at Trinity's George Suitor Invitational, before posting 19th overall at their home invitational in mid-September. The Corsairs went on to place third at the Little East Championship, anchored by Lynch and junior captain
Sophie Owen - who posted ninth overall to earn All-LEC Second Team honors.
UMass Dartmouth went on to finish 13th overall at the NCAA East Regional Championship, the highest finish in program history and two spots better than the previous season - paced by Lynch with a career-best time of 23:38 in the 6k.
Academically, the Corsairs saw six student-athletes named to the Little East Fall All-Academic Team, while 11 were LEC Academic Honor Roll selections.
In addition to Lynch and Owen, the women's squad in 2025 featured rookie
Elena Aponte, sophomore
Ashlyn Byrnes, junior captain
Serena Carnes, rookie
Isabelle Chekares, junior
Liv DeSimone, sophomore
Alexia Gonsalves, rookie
Kilee Hancock, sophomore
Natalya LaVita, rookie
Raeleigh Levesque, sophomore
Sara Lopez, senior
Emma Madruga, junior
Kyla Palmer, rookies
Ruby Pazdyk and
Alexah Pedder, senior captain
Tori Schweitzer and sophomore
Lylah Thibeault.
