The Emory women's cross country team embarked on one of its most successful seasons in program history, culminating in a seventh-place finish at the NCAA National Championships – tied for the best finish in program history at the National Championships. The Eagles finished second at the NCAA South Regional and fourth at the UAA Championships. Emory claimed two team wins at meets this year and six different Eagles earned All-Region Status.
Emory got its season started with an exclamation point, taking first of 12 teams at the Queen City Invite 5k, topping a couple of NCAA Division I and II programs. The win set the tone for the remainder of the regular season, as they went on to finish 2nd of 46 teams at the Paul Short Run and winning the Upstate Invitational to serve as a launching pad into the championship meets.
Emory was led by a pair of Eagles who consistently dominated all season long, with graduate student Brigid Hanley and senior Liesl Scherrer serving as the catalyst to the record-breaking season. The duo consistently finished in the top-five of all runners in each meet the two ran in. The tandem's historic season was in full display at the UAA Championships, becoming the first teammates in program history to finish one-two at the conference championship meet. Hanley set a new personal-best at the distance, coming in at 21:07.6 and in first place while Scherrer finished second with a dazzling time of 21:18.0 to see both earn First Team All-UAA distinctions.
Hanley's performance at the UAA Championship etched her name in the record books even further. With the impressive performance, the Portland, Oregon native became just the fourth Eagle in program history to win the conference's individual championship, joining Annika Urban (2022), Sarah Byrd (2001), and Christine Gallagher (1994) in doing so. The duo helped lift Emory to a fourth-place finish overall at the meet.
Emory sent seven Eagles to the NCAA South Region Championships just a couple of weeks later and six of those competitors earned All-Region status. Joining Hanley and Scherrer in earning All-Region status was senior Madison Tiaffay, freshmen Ashlyn Pallotta and Davis Johnson as well as sophomore Cameron Gupta. The six All-Region performances lifted Emory to a second-place finish at the event and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships in Terra Haute, Indiana.
The Eagles capped off the strong season in Indiana, finishing seventh with a score of 294 and tying the 1997 team's seventh-place finish as the best in program history. Hanley led the way, posting a 12th place finish and earning her second-consecutive All-America award. She became the third Eagle in program history to win multiple All-America honors, joining Sarah Byrd (2000 & 2001) and Annika Urban (2021 & 2022) in doing so. Hanley concludes her Eagle career having ripped off two of the most dominant two season stretches in program history.
Scherrer concluded her senior season with a strong performance in Indiana, narrowly missing out on All-America status with her 44th overall finish. Competing in six events over the course of her senior season, the West Chester native finished in the top-five of all runners in four of those races. She also played a key role in the Eagles' win at the Queen City Invite, finishing third overall.
Tiaffay was another Eagle who was consistently in the top half of Emory performers. Her top performance came at the NCAA South Region Championship when she finished ninth and turned in a time of 22:13.81. She went on to finish 102nd of 290 runners with a time of 22:22.80 at the National Championship.
A pair of freshmen made solid first impressions as well with Johnson and Pallotta also turning in consistent times all season long. Both earned All-Region status and competed on the record-breaking NCAA National Championship lineup. Pallotta finished inside of the top 100 of all runners at the National Championship, coming in 98th while Johnson finished in 140th.
In total, the Eagles finished the season with one All-American, six All-Region honorees, and two All-UAA runners after the record-setting season.
The Eagles earned the following honors for the 2024 season:
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UAA Athlete of the Week
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Brigid Hanley
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Portland, OR
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Sept. 16, Oct. 7, Oct. 21, Nov. 4
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