Championship Central
Interview: Sydney Pineault (WVWC) | Kelsey Chambers (WJU)

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. -- West Virginia Wesleyan placed its top seven runners in the top 16 to propel the Bobcats to the 2017 Mountain East Conference Women's Cross Country Championship on Saturday morning at the Bridgeport Recreation Complex.

The Bobcats won the title with just 35 points, ahead of Wheeling Jesuit's 47 points. Concord was third with 68 points, followed by Charleston (115), Fairmont State (139), West Liberty (188), UVa-Wise (197), Notre Dame (218) and Glenville State (226).

Kelsey Chambers won her third-straight MEC Championship title and was also named the league's Runner of the Year for the third-consecutive season. She finished the 6,000-meter race with a time of 23:09. Teammate Kaitlyn Workman was second with a time of 23:29. 

WVWC's contingent was led by senior Sydney Pineault who was third (24:08). The Bobcats also had Madison Frame (6th), Joanna Johnston (7th), Lexi Beach (9th) and Michaela Peterson (10th) earn first team honors by finishing in the top 10. Zoey Vilasuso (15th) and Rachel Englund (16th) earned second team recognition and rounded out the scoring for WVWC.

Also earning first team honors was Kelly Whittaker (UC), Sydney Haynes (CU), Emily Maddow (FSU). Haynes was named Freshman of the Year for her efforts this fall.

West Virginia Wesleyan head coach Jesse Skiles was selected as the league's Coach of the Year for guiding the Bobcats to their fourth MEC title in five years.