Carney, Jacobs Win Titles at NECC Championship

HENNIKER, N.H. – The Mitchell College men's and women's cross country programs produced a pair of individual champions at the 2021 New England Collegiate Conference Championship on Saturday morning at New England College.

Junior Evan Carney won the men's 8k race while sophomore Lara Jacobs took the crown in the women's 5k event. Carney crossed the finish line in 33:57—nearly a minute faster than his closest competitor—while Jacobs clocked in at 20:58 to win by 17 seconds.

Jacobs becomes the first Mitchell women's runner to win the conference's individual title. Carney is the third men's runner to win the title for the Mariners, joining David Still (2018) and Sherif Ali (2011). In addition to receiving all-conference honors, both Jacobs and Carney were named NECC Runner of the Year for their respective sports.

Another Mitchell runner garnered all-conference honors on the day. Abigail Rasmussen finished fifth overall with a time of 23:24, joining Jacobs and three Lesley University runners on the all-conference squad. 

The Mitchell women finished as runner-up to Lesley in the team standings. The Lynx topped the field with 25 points, with Mitchell (42) and Eastern Nazarene College (53) close behind. On the men's side, NEC captured team honors with 42 points ahead of Eastern Nazarene (45), Mitchell (50) and Lesley (73).