Photo courtesy of Ramapo Athletics.
The Ramapo women’s cross country team placed fourth out of seven teams in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship held in Galloway, N.J. on Saturday, Oct. 30. The Roadrunners finished with 92 points overall and placed just behind Rowan University.
The highlight of the race for Ramapo was sophomore Jane Wagner, who took home first place overall in the race. This was the first time in program history that a woman won the individual title at the race. In addition to this, Chris Andersen won the NJAC title for the men’s team, marking the first time in school history that both the men’s and women’s teams won the individual titles for their respective races.
“It feels unreal,” said Wagner in response to winning the overall title for the race by posting a 23:46.9 time, her personal best. “I honestly was not expecting it. I was nervous that I wasn’t even going to finish in the top 10. But I guess I just felt really good and I pushed myself to a limit I didn’t even know I had.”
After the race, Wagner was also named to the 2021 NJAC Women’s Cross Country All-Conference team. Joining her in this honor was Suzanne Zaugg, who ended up finishing second for Ramapo in the NJAC Championship.
Zaugg finished 14th overall in the race, putting up a time of 24:48.3. Safiya Ratliff came in third with a time of 25:12.4 and finished 21st in the race. Right behind Ratliff was Zoey Cassavell who finished 23rd and posted a time of 25:29.1. Rounding out the top five for the Roadrunners was Kacy Ewing, who finished with a time of 27:45.8 and ended up placing 33rd overall in the entire race.
Wagner, in addition to earning All-Conference honors, added to her accomplishments by winning NJAC Runner and Rookie of the Year. “It’s amazing that I am the first ever woman from Ramapo to win this title,” she said. “I hope in the years to come we keep this streak!” Her award-filled week was the finishing touches on an incredible first year of running.
After participating in the NJAC Championship, Ramapo will return to action at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Metro Regional Championships hosted by Rowan University. The meet will be on Saturday, Nov. 13 and will begin at 11 a.m. It will be held at Dream Park in Logan Township, N.J..
bschmid@ramapo.edu
