McKillop and Coaching Staff Headline All-SCIAC Honors

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. – On Thursday afternoon the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) announced the All-Conference teams for women's cross country. Bryn McKillop (SC) was named the SCIAC Athlete of the Year to lead nine Athenas on All-Conference teams. In addition to the nine runners honored, John Goldhammer and the Athenas' coaching staff was named the Coaching Staff of the Year in the SCIAC.

Joining McKillop with First Team honors were Malea Martin (CMC), Roselyn Cantu (CMC), Abigale Johnson (SC), and Kyleigh Mann (CMC). Four more Athenas made the Second Team with Ellen Berkley (CMC), Dulcie Jones (SC), Lauren Stanislaw (SC), and Olivia Gleason (SC) collecting honors.

The First Team All-SCIAC honor is the fourth All-Conference nod for McKillop in her career. She was Named Second Team in both her freshman and sophomore seasons before picking up a First Team accolade last season prior to this year's First Team and Athlete of the Year honor. McKillop has paced the No. 6 Athenas all season long, winning six races including the SCIAC Championships last weekend with a time of 22:36.55 in the 6K race.

With a First Team honor in 2017, Roselyn Cantu joins McKillop as a four-time All-SCIAC runner. Cantu earned a First Team honor in 2015 and Second Team Accolades in 2014 and 2016. This season, Cantu finished the SCIAC Championships in a time of 23:26.88 to finish seventh in the field.

Malea Martin is the only other Athena honored in 2017 to have earned an All-Conference award in the past. Last season Martin finished the SCIAC Championships in fifth-place for a First Team honor. She repeated the First Team honor this season by moving up a spot at the Championships. She finished in fourth-place with a time of 23:16.93.

Freshman Abigale Johnson was the highest finishing freshman at this year's SCIAC Championships with an eighth-place finish in a time of 23:27.26. She earned First Team honors, the only freshman to do so in 2017. Kyleigh Mann also earned All-Conference honors for the first time in her career. She finished in 10th-place (23:37.21) to secure a spot on the First Team.

Four Athenas earned spots on the Second Team, all of whom were earning All-Conference awards for the first time in their careers. Seniors Ellen Berkley (24:05.22) and Lauren Stanislaw (24:21.67) finished the SCIAC Championship in 12th and 16th place respectively and were named Second Team. Freshmen Dulcie Jones (24:10.47) and Olivia Gleason (24:37.29) joined their senior teammates on the Second Team by finishing the Championship in 14th and 19th.

Along with nine All-Conference distinctions, head coach John Goldhammer and assistant coach Collin Christensen were named the SCIAC Coaching Staff of the Year. Goldhammer is in his 34th season at the helm of both the Stags and Athenas. With the women's victory in the SCIAC Championship last weekend, the Athenas have claimed 21 of the last 24 conference titles, including the last eight.

The Athenas will continue their tremendous fall on Nov. 11 when they run in the NCAA West Regionals at Pomona-Pitzer.