4 Photos
Penelope Greene CORIE HOLDING
Penelope Greene CORIE HOLDING
Penelope Greene CORIE HOLDING
Penelope Greene CORIE HOLDING
Penelope Greene is now a two-time NCAA Division III All-American after the 2021 Pierson graduate placed third in 21:06.1 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Saturday.
The Knights started the race in the middle of the 290 athlete pack. Greene stayed toward the front, but had a crowd of athletes to compete with. In the final 400 meters, Greene blew past the group and crossed the line at 21.06.1 — and took home her second third-place finish at nationals.
Lilly Fowler-Connor held strong during her race, running a 5:53 split, and earned a 48th place finish with a time of 21:55.7. Ann Brennan (22:25.1) and Gabriella McCarthy (22:37.6) were the next to cross the line for Geneseo. Teammates Jillian O’Rourke (22:47.5), Sierra Doody (23:37.9) and Ari Reback (24:07.4) rounded out the top seven runners for Geneseo and helped secure the ninth place team finish for the Knights.
“The beginning was a little nerve-wracking because our team box was so far to the left that it was hard to cut to the middle,” Greene explained. “By the time I got to the 1K and could see the chase pack and where I needed to be, all I thought was ‘Uh oh.’ But it gave me something to focus on, and I just executed my strategy of moving up. And by the time I got to the last 400 meters or so, I just booked it to the finish line.”
A two-time All-American in cross country, Greene has also finished both indoor and outdoor track with All-American honors as well. This was her final cross country season, “which is so crazy and bittersweet to think about,” she said.
Dating back to the 2014 season, Geneseo has finished in the top-10 for 10-consecutive times at nationals: 2014 (5th), 2015 (2nd), 2016 (3rd), 2017 (6th), 2018 (5th), 2019 (10th), 2021 (3rd), 2022 (5th), 2023 (5th) and 2024 (9th). This season, Geneseo also captured its first ever Empire 8 Conference Championship and took second place at the Niagara Regional Championship.
The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced their Regional Athletes of the Year on November 19, and SUNY Geneseo swept the Niagra Region Runner of the Year Awards. Charlie Wilson brought home the honor on the men’s side, and Greene earned the award for the women.
Greene won the individual title at the 2024 NCAA Niagara Regional Championship held at the Fredonia State Cross Country Course on November 16, finishing five seconds ahead of the field over the 6,000-meter course in a time of 21:13.3. She helped No. 7 Geneseo to a second-place finish and at-large selection into the 2024 NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country Championship.
