ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College women's cross country team gathered one final time on the 2017 season at the Briggs House for their annual year-end banquet. At this culminating event, the team reflected on the season and enjoyed an evening back together. As is customary, the end-of-season awards were presented. The winners are as follows:

Most Valuable and Most Improved: Marlee Yost-Wolff (Lawrence, Kan./Lawrence Free State)
After an impressive Track and Field season in Spring 2017, many expected great things from Yost-Wolff and she certainly delivered. Yost-Wolff went from a middle of the pack runner for the Scots in seasons past to a consistent scorer in the top two for the team. At the MIAC Championship meet, this improvement and Yost-Wolff's contributions to the team were showcased in her All-Conference Honorable Mention award for a 22nd place finish in a time of 23:25. In previous seasons, Yost-Wolff had not broken into the top 125 at the conference race. This season alone, Yost-Wolff improved her 6,000-meter race times by almost a minute and a half. Winning both of these awards is an impressive feat and shows Yost-Wolff's commitment to her training and her team as well as the depth of the program.

Most Inspirational: Sarah Aldama (San Antonio, Texas/Louis D. Brandeis)
After struggling with injury throughout her cross country career at Macalester, Aldama's determination to get healthy allowed her to race in the majority of meets this season. In her first ever time competing at the MIAC Championships, Aldama earned herself an all-time personal record, racing a minute and a half faster than she had all season. More so than her performances, Aldama's tenacity through adversity and smile she wears through it all earned her this award.

Rookie of the Year: Sarah Furth (Vancouver, Wash./Columbia River)
Although slightly unconventional, Furth was voted Rookie of the Year by the team despite being a junior. Furth transferred to Macalester in Spring 2017, making this her first season on the team. Immediately Furth contributed both on and off the course. Furth consistently finished in the lead of new runners to the team, making her stand out amongst her rookie peers. Furth's top performance of the season was at the UW-La Crosse Tori Neubauer Invitational with a time of 26:29.

2018 Captains: Yost-Wolff, Katrin O'Grady (Sherborn, Mass./Montrose), Amy Pelz (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt) and Elena Smith (Eau Claire, Wis. / Memorial).