Brooke Simon after winning the SCIAC pole vault title
Brooke Simon after winning the SCIAC pole vault title

Brooke Simon, Emily Clarke win Major SCIAC Awards for CMS Women's Track and Field

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Brooke Simon was named the SCIAC Field Athlete of the Year, and Emily Clarke captured the Jennifer Stary Character Award in a vote of the conference's head coaches, the league office announced today.

In addition, head coach Glenn Stewart and his staff (Marina Muncan, Veronica Bell Amarasekara, Lekeisha Moore, Jeff Venglass, Chris Ramirez and Jessika Sninscak) earned the SCIAC Coaching Staff of the Year honor after guiding the Stags to a first-place finish at the conference championships.  

Simon earned the honor after earning the individual SCIAC championship in the pole vault with a new personal best of 3.90 meters (12'9.5"). That figure still remains tied for the top vault in all of Division III this year, and puts her in position to contend for the national title later this month. She also ranks second in CMS history behind Jackie Desmond, who cleared 3.97 meters on her way to All-America honors in 2019.  

Simon has already made one trip to nationals this year, although the indoor variety, where she earned All-America honors with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships in North Carolina back in March.  

Clarke won the 5000 meters at the SCIAC Championships with a time of 17:46.79, while also finishing fourth in the 1500 meters to give CMS 14 individual points towards its narrow margin in the team battle. 

Clarke currently ranks 14th in Division III in the 5000, putting her in position to qualify for nationals at the end of the month, after already helping the CMS cross country team to a second-place team finish in the fall, when she earned All-America honors. She narrowly missed All-America status at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships in March, when she came in ninth in the 3000 meters. 

In addition to the major awards, the conference also officially released its All-SCIAC winners, which student-athletes earned by finishing in the top three at the league championships. The following Athenas earned all-league distinction for reaching the podium at Whittier on April 30-May 1. 

Emily Clarke, 5000 meters (1st)
Meredith Bloss, 10000 meters (1st)
Caroline DelVecchio, 100-meter hurdles (1st)
Caroline DelVecchio, 400-meter hurdles (1st)
Riley Harmon, steeplechase (1st)
Brooke Simon, pole vault (1st)

Natalie Bitetti, 1500 meters (2nd)
Riley Harmon, 5000 meters (2nd)
Amanda Gallop, hammer throw (2nd)
4x400 relay (Mikaela Lipsky, Lucy Konsmo, Laura Zimmer, Caroline DelVecchio) - 2nd

Natalie Bitetti, 800 meters (3rd)
Laura Zimmer, 1500 meters (3rd)
Meredith Bloss, 5000 meters (3rd)
Sophie Gitlin, steeplechase (3rd)
Simone Rogers, high jump (3rd)

To view the complete list of SCIAC award winners, head to the following link:

SCIAC Women's Track and Field Awards