BELOIT, Wis. – Cornell's women made a valiant push toward a team title at Saturday's Midwest Conference Cross Country Championships at Beloit Country Club.
 
Coach Jerry Frawley's Rams battled it out with favorite Ripon, only to finish two points behind in a hotly-contested team race, 48-50. Cornell secured a strong runner-up showing for the second year in a row.
 
The Rams claimed five top-20 all-conference individuals for the second consecutive year, led by a runner-up performance from junior Lidia Dahlman who won the 2025 title.
 
Dahlman captured her third all-MWC medal in as many tries, covering the 6K distance in 21:52. She defeated 110 competitors in the field, trailing only Ripon's Joley Berger who clocked a winning time of 21:20.
 
Cornell landed all five of its scorers in the top 16, while Ripon went 1, 3, 10, 14 and 20.
 
Junior Milar Little placed eighth in 23:00, followed closely by sophomore teammate Gretchyn Fairlie in ninth (23:05). Both earned their first all-conference awards.
 
Junior Carley improved two places from last year's all-conference finish, taking 15th in 23:24. Senior Zoe Peesel ran a season-best 23:26 and finished 16th to earn all-MWC honors for the first time.
 
Cornell first-year runners Lily Manzo (24:24) and Hannah Stone (24:40) performed well in their MWC debuts, placing 35th and 39th respectively.
 
The Rams finished 16 points ahead of defending team champion Grinnell, which took third.
 
Elite 20 – Cornell senior Sophie Stumbo was named recipient of the MWC Elite 20 Award at the conclusion of Saturday's meet. The award recognizes the student-athlete with the highest grade point average among participants in the sport's culminating championship event.
 
Stumbo is a three-time recipient of the award, receiving the honor for track and field in 2026 and cross country in 2024.
 
The Rams have now claimed 17 MWC Elite 20 awards since its inception in 2015-16.
 
Coming up – The Rams compete at the Midwest Region Championships Nov. 14 in Rock Island, Ill.