Saratoga Springs Grad Named ACC Women’s Runner of the Year

GREENSBORO, NC — Saratoga Spring’s Kelsey Chimel has earned the ACC Women’s Runner of the Year honors, following NC State’s first ever NCAA Women’s Cross Country Championship. 

Chimel, a junior, had a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Women’s Championships on Nov. 20 with a time of 19:34.6. She received the Atlantic Coast Conference honors following a vote of the league’s 15 head coaches. The ACC Runner of the Year award is the second postseason honor for Chimel, who was also recognized as the USTFCCA Southeast Regional Female Athlete of the Year. 

During the 2021 season, Chimel also had a first-place showing at the Southeast Regional on Nov. 12 with a time of 19:58.4, and at the ACC Championship at Notre Dame on Oct. 29. Chimel is the third consecutive gold medalist from NC State at the ACC Championship, posting a winning 6K time of 20:02.7.