Wolfpack Women's Cross Country Wins YWCA Team of the Year Award

GREENSBURG, Pa. – The Westmoreland County Community College women's cross country is still pulling in awards months after their record-breaking season, as the program has been named the Outstanding Sportswomen Team of the Year by the YWCA of Westmoreland County.

This is one of many awards the YWCA presents during its annual Sportswomen of the Year Banquet. Since its inception, the program recognizes solely female athletes and teams, with over 1,000 sportswomen honored to date.

The Wolfpack cross country team, made up entirely of student-athletes from Westmoreland County and surrounding areas, was truly deserving of the honor after completing its most successful season in the program's 10-year history. The team had its highest preseason ranking ever in the first USTFCCA National Coaches poll, as they were fifth at the start of the year.

The program remained in the top 10 throughout the season, which began with winning the Wolfpack Invitational and culminated in winning their fifth consecutive WPCC championship, as well as the second Region XX title in program history and then placing sixth at NJCAA National Championships, the best finish ever for the program.

Individually, the program was led by four WPCC All-Conference performers and a pair of NJCAA All-Region team members.

In addition to excelling on the courses, this Wolfpack team is just as successful in the classroom and in the community. The team boasted the highest GPA among NJCAA women's programs in the country in the fall with a 3.955 GPA. Seven of the women's runners made NJCAA Academic All-American, including four with a perfect 4.0 GPA, and eight made the WPCC All-Academic team, including six on High Honors and two on Honors.

In the community, the program volunteered to help clean portions of the 5-Star Trail and volunteered with the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Cross Country Meet.

This is the second year the program, led by USTFCCCA Central Region NJCAA Division III Coach of the Year Patrick Comer, is being honored. Last year, Chelsi Bartlow, who won the individual Region XX cross country championship in 2018, was honored as the Sportswoman of the Year for Individual Excellence.

Bartlow was going to be a part of this year's YWCA Sportswomen of the Year Banquet festivities, as she was scheduled to be the Keynote Speaker for the event. However, due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, the banquet has been canceled. The College and the YWCA are working to find a time and occasion to present the award and recognize the team.