Northeast-10 Elite 24 Award

MANSFIELD, Mass. (October 25, 2021) -- Senior Riley Fenoff (Danville, Vt.) and graduate student Alena Masterson (Pelham, N.H.) of the Franklin Pierce University cross country program have both won the Elite 24 Award from the Northeast-10 Conference for the third straight year, as announced by the league at Sunday’s NE10 Championship.

Per the NE10: “The Elite 24 Award honors the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average (GPA) participating at the finals site at each NE10 Championship. These student athletes represent the true essence of NE10 student-athletes earning it every day we are proud to recognize their efforts. The inaugural year for the Elite 24 Award was the 2018-19 season.”

Fenoff and Masterson both represented the Ravens at Sunday’s NE10 Championship while sporting perfect, 4.0 GPAs. Fenoff is a psychology major, while Masterson is a communications major.

Franklin Pierce’s cross country and track & field program has captured nearly half of the awards available since the inception of the Elite 24 program. Of the 20 which have now been handed out, the Ravens have taken nine of the Elite 24 trophies home, including all six in cross country over the past three years. Franklin Pierce has picked up a trio of Elite 24 Awards in track & field along the way as well.

“Our continued collection of Elite 24 Awards really speaks to the type of student-athletes we’ve built our program around, and showcases how willing they are to give their heart to everything they do,” said head coach Zach Emerson. “Not only have we picked up nine Elite 24 Awards since the NE10 started giving them out, but we perennially have athletes earn All-Academic honors from the USTFCCCA as well, and it’s so rewarding to see our program acknowledged for its work in the classroom as well as on the course. Riley and Alena may be at the top of the heap, but they represent an entire program that continues to focus on what’s important.”

Fenoff also chalked up All-NE10 Third Team honors on Saturday, as he finished 20^th at the championship meet. For her part, Masterson finished 96^th, her highest-ever finish at the event.

Ravens cross country will be back in action for the NCAA Championship East Regional, to be hosted by Roberts Wesleyan College on Saturday, Nov. 6, in Rochester, N.Y.