ATTLEBORO, Mass. (October 31, 2025) – Emerson College is gearing up for the 2025 New England Women's and Men's Cross Country Championships, hosted by Wheaton College, at the Mark Coogan Course at Highland Park in Attleboro on Saturday. The men's eight-kilometer championship will start at 11 a.m., with the women's six-kilometer championship scheduled to start at noon.

All-Region senior Yasmin Defne Dadikhi will be taking aim at a second-straight All-NEWMAC performance when she leads the Emerson women at the line tomorrow. She is coming off two-straight first place performances for the Lions this fall and three victories overall after finishing tenth at the 2024 NEWMAC Championships in 22:06.7 on her way to becoming the first Emersonian to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships later in the season with her ninth place finish at the NCAA East Regional (22:15.5). Defne Dadikhi has produced four career event wins as part of nine career top five finishes, 13 top tens and 16 finishes in the top 20. She has finished in the top 20 in each of her NEWMAC Championship appearances, finishing 17^th in 2023 in 24:16.4.

Senior John Lanza also runs into tomorrow's NEWMAC Championships on a high note following his first career collegiate win at the Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Invitational, hosted by Saint Joseph's College, two weeks ago. It marked his first career top five finish and second top ten, completing the 8-kilometer run in 29:02.6. Saturday will mark his third career NEWMAC Championship, having finished 68^th in 2024 (28:07.9) and 62^nd in 2023 (29:40.1).

The Emerson men are picked eighth in the NEWMAC's championship coaches' poll, ahead of Salve Regina University, while the women are tied for 11^th in the women's championship coaches' poll with Clark University. MIT tops both polls unanimously with the No. 2 nationally ranked Engineer women winning 17-straight NEWMAC titles as well as the NCAA Division III National Championship a year ago, and the No. 11-ranked men have 26-straight NEWMAC crowns.

The Emerson men finished eighth as a team at the 2024 NEWMAC Championships, led by Lanza, while the women took 11^th last fall behind Defne Dadikhi's All-Conference finish.

More Men's Notes:

• Senior Niko Wahl – fourth NEWMAC Championship: 2024 – 114^th (33:06.6), 2023 – 104^th (40:36.8). 2022 – 83^rd (31:18.8). Finished personal-best 20^th at Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Invitational (35:22.6).
• Junior Bryan Hecht – third NEWMAC Championship: 2024 – 104^th (30:26.9), 2023 – 77^th (31:47.2). Placed 16^th at 2023 Runnin' Monks Invitational (30:59.5) for his first career top 20 finish.
• Junior Charles Reeg – third NEWMAC Championship: 2024 – 109^th (31:43.3), 2023 – 91^st (33:13.1). First career top 20 finish with 15^th place finish at Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Invitational (33:14.7).
• Junior Paulo Vallejo Cardenas – third NEWMAC Championship: 2024 – 113^th (32:56.4), 2023 – 95^th (34:07.2). Placed 14^th at Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Invitational (32:49.4) for first career top 20 finish.
• Sophomore Christiano Iannacone – second career NEWMAC Championship: 2024 – 116^th (33:18.8). Posted first career top ten finish with tenth at Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Invitational (30:54.6).
• Senior Honor Scorzelli – first NEWMAC Championship. Finished 12^th at Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Invitational (32:30.5) for first career top 20.
• Junior Joshua Garrison – first NEWMAC Championship. Placed 16^th at Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Invitational (34:18.9) for first career top 20 finish.
• Junior Andre Lazarus – first NEWMAC Championship. Finished fifth at Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Invitational (29:51.4) for first career top 20.
• Junior Denzel Montalvo Perez – first NEWMAC Championship. 13^th at Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Invitational for first career top 20.

More Women's Notes:

• Senior Na'Lea Curiel – fourth career NEWMAC Championship: 2024 – 111^th (28:25.8), 2023 – 131^st (34:36.0), 2022 – 126^th (32:21.6). Four career top 20 finishes, including 18^th at Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Invitational (31:51.0).
• Senior Olivia Kardos – third career NEWMAC Championship: 2023 – 79^th (27:44.9), 2022 – 76^th (25:51.2). Four career top five finishes, including fifth at Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Invitational (26:17.2), six top ten and nine top 20 finishes over her career.
• Junior Anna Brody – second NEWMAC Championship: 2024 – 106^th (27:42.7). Three career top 20 finishes, including 12^th at Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Invitational (27:42.7).
• Sophomore Ava Keleher – second NEWMAC Championship: 2024 – 118^th (30:21.0). Four career top 20 finishes, including 16^th at Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Invitational (30:22.7).
• Junior Nicole Armstrong – first NEWMAC Championship. 19^th at Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Invitational (32:08.2).

• Sophomore Noor Al-Sonbaty - first NEWMAC Championship.
• First-year Laila Morales – first NEWMAC Championship. Placed 15^th at Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Invitational (28:30.7).
• First-year Natalie Suplick – first NEWMAC Championship. Placed tenth at Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Invitational (27:49.5).

Up Next:

Both Emerson teams will compete at the NCAA Division III East Regional Championship in two weeks at Hopkinton Fairgrounds in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, on Saturday, November 15. The men's championship will be run at 11 a.m., with the women to follow again at noon.

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