Elle Marsyla came out ahead of a tight pack of five Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges runners to claim Athlete of the Year honors in a triumphant return from missing last season due to injury.
Newcomer of the Year recognition went to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges rookie
Kate Sherry, who nabbed the final All-Conference Second Team slot by virtue of placing 20th.
Gigi Pistilli of Caltech was presented with the Celia Peterson Award, named after the initial conference champion from Caltech in 1977. It recognizes the senior athlete who best exemplifies the conference’s high ideals through their ability, leadership, determination, sportsmanship and academics. A two-year captain and four-time All-SCIAC honoree, Pistilli was an important member of the Caltech team that placed a program-record third at SCIACs in 2022 and sixth at the NCAA West Regional Championships. The senior has held a 4.0 grade-point average as a biochemistry major while also minoring Environmental Science and Engineering with research focusing on soil science, particularly carbon sequestration and plant nanobiotechnology. Over four years, Pistilli has grown in ability to be a vocal leader, consistently encouraging and motivating teammates. Often be found mentoring teammates on how to find peace in the rigorous academic environment of Caltech and how to find joy in competing, Pistilli's resilience and supportive spirit make her a standout leader and teammate.
Marina Muncan won a fifth consecutive Coaching Staff of the Year award for CMS after the Athenas swept the top three individual places with six of the top 10 finishers and another pair on the Second Team.
 |
 |
 |

|
|
Athlete
of the Year
|
Newcomer
of the Year
|
Celia Peterson
Award
|
Coaching
Staff of the Year
|
|
Elle Marsyla
CMS
|
Kate Sherry
Pomona-Pitzer
|
Virginia Pistilli
Caltech
|
Marina Muncan
CMS
|
|
|
|
|
|
| First Team All-SCIAC |
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Hometown |
| Elle Marsyla |
CMS |
Sr. |
Woodside, Calif. |
| Riley Capuano |
CMS |
Jr. |
Los Altos, Calif. |
| Hope Dragseth |
CMS |
So. |
De Pere, Wis. |
| Joya Terdiman |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Sr. |
San Francisco, Calif. |
| Sara Wexler |
CMS |
Sr. |
Denver, Colo. |
| Sadie Drucker |
CMS |
Jr. |
Portland, Ore. |
| Brenda Daza |
Chapman |
Jr. |
Buena Park, Calif. |
| Brannan Rosenfeld |
CMS |
So. |
Portland, Ore. |
| Eva Novy-Hildesley |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Jr. |
Portland, Ore. |
| Summer Gelman |
Cal Lutheran |
Sr. |
Agoura, Calif. |
| Second Team All-SCIAC |
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Hometown |
| Fiona Bodkin |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Jr. |
Los Altos, Calif. |
| Kendall Madine |
Pomona-Pitzer |
So. |
Niwot, Colo. |
| Olivia Backholm |
CMS |
So. |
Los Altos, Calif. |
| Mia Voce |
CMS |
Sr. |
Seattle, Wash. |
| Maggie Avey |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Jr. |
Eagle, Idaho |
| Ryleigh LaRue |
La Verne |
Sr. |
Azusa, Calif. |
| Jenna LeNay |
Occidental |
Sr. |
Nipomo, Calif. |
| Virginia Pistilli |
Caltech |
Sr. |
Portola Valley, Calif. |
| Megan Walter |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Jr. |
Atlanta, Ga. |
| Kate Sherry |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Fy. |
Palos Verdes, Calif. |
Follow the SCIAC on Threads (@theSCIAC), X - formerly Twitter (@theSCIAC) and Instagram (@thesciac) with hashtags #SCIACtion and #SoCalSoGood. Watch all home SCIAC games, matches, and meets online through FloSports: https://flosports.link/SCIAC