Women's Cross Country

2026 CUNYAC Women's Cross Country All-Conference Awards and Teams Announced

NEW YORK - The 2026 CUNY Athletic Conference women's cross country All-Conference awards and team were announced Friday afternoon.

Hunter College's Shannon Ferri was named the conference's Runner of the Year for the second straight year, while Lehman's Amanda Montano was voted Rookie of the Year.  Hunter head coach Marvin Hawkins was voted Coach of the Year by his peers, while York's Dayne-Ann Baker was named the recipient of the Sportsmanship Award.

2026 Women's Cross Country Award Winners

Headshot of Shannon Ferri, Hunter
Runner of the Year

Shannon Ferri, Hunter (Gr., Cold Spring, N.Y.)

Ferri was selected as the CUNYAC Runner of the Year for the second straight season.

Ferri, a four-time CUNYAC Runner of the Week, was the Hawks' top performer all season, recording three top-10 finishes during the regular season. At the conference cross country championship on Sunday, Ferri led the Hawks to their 12th straight title with a dominating performance, finishing the 6K course in 24:11.1, nearly two minutes faster than her closest competitor as Hunter swept the top three spots and took five of the top seven.

Headshot of Amanda Montano, Lehman
Rookie of the Year

Amanda Montano, Lehman (Fr., Bronx, N.Y.)

Montano is the first Rookie of the Year for the Lightning since Evelin Gomez in 2022.

Montano, a two-time Runner of the Week and five-time Rookie of the Week this season, was Lehman's top runner all season. She recorded a pair of first place finishes during the season and also finished sixth at the Caldwell Cougar Chase on September 18. Her top 5K time of 21:45 was the fifth-fastest in the CUNYAC in 2026.

Headshot of Marvin Hawkins, Hunter
Coach of the Year

Marvin Hawkins, Hunter

Hawkins earned Coach of the Year in women's cross country for the fourth time in his career and second straight year (2022, 2023, 2025). He guided the Hawks to their 12th straight conference championship and 23rd overall as the Hawks swept the top three places and had five of the top seven finishers on Sunday. Hunter also finished third at the Queensborough Invitational in early October.

Headshot of Dayne-Ann Baker, York
Sportsmanship Award

Dayne-Ann Baker, York (Woodhaven, N.Y.)

2026 CUNYAC Women's Cross Country Awards
Runner of the Year: Shannon Ferri, Hunter 
Rookie of the Year: Amanda Montano, Lehman
Coach of the Year: Marvin Hawkins, Hunter 
Sportsmanship Award: Dayne-Ann Baker (York)
Sportsmanship Team: Emily Stevanus (Baruch), Isabela Vargas (Brooklyn), Yusra Aawawdeh (CCNY), Mikaelle Cesar (Hunter), Litzy Hernandez (John Jay), Melissa Dominguez (Lehman), Brianna Lindo (Medgar Evers) 
 
2026 CUNYAC Women’s Cross Country All-Conference
Shannon Ferri, Hunter
Mikaelle Cesar, Hunter
Maria Gonzalez, Hunter
Erin Perry, Brooklyn
Brianna Lindo, Medgar Evers
Tatiana Marr, Hunter
Ewa Ozgastasiewicz, Hunter
Skylah Nix, John Jay
Hasti Shahdad, Hunter
Cielo Flores Diaz, Baruch
Karuna Aikawa, CCNY
Alexa Guzman, John Jay
Suzanne Akyar, CCNY
Emily Stevanus, Baruch
Isabelle Ashpole, CCNY
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