WINTHROP, Mass. - The weekly honors continue to pile up for Norwich University women's cross country freshman Ava Dillon (Erie, Colo.), who was named Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Rookie of the Week for the third consecutive time after another strong performance in the Cadets' regular-season finale.

Dillon once again led Norwich at Saturday's Golden Bear Invitational, finishing 11th overall in the six-kilometer race with a time of 24:14.00.

The result marked the fifth consecutive meet in which Dillon has served as Norwich's top finisher, capping a regular season that has seen the rookie establish herself consistently at the front of the Cadet lineup.

Her latest honor gives Dillon three GNAC Rookie of the Week awards this season, all coming in succession.

Dillon becomes Norwich's first women's cross country runner to earn the distinction three times in a season since teammate Delaney Whitmarsh (North Yarmouth, Maine) collected five Rookie of the Week honors during the 2024 campaign.

The streak began after Dillon's fourth-place finish at the Colby-Sawyer Maslan Cross Country Invitational & GNAC Preview, where she crossed as the top freshman in the 53-runner field. Five days later, she followed with a 14th-place showing among 136 competitors at the Hopkinton Cross Country Festival.

She continued that run on Saturday in Springfield, placing 11th overall while helping Norwich finish fifth in a deep 18-team scoring field.

Dillon's performance helped set the tone for another compact scoring effort from the Cadets, who placed each of their top five runners inside the top 40 overall.

Sophomore Kaitlyn Moore (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) followed Dillon in 26th with a time of 25:00.78, while freshman Anna Barlow (Kingston, N.H.) took 29th in 25:13.88.

Sophomore Ally Teitsch (Malta, N.Y.) finished 33rd in 25:33.08, with Whitmarsh completing Norwich's scoring five in 37th at 25:41.15.

Only 40.37 seconds separated Moore through Whitmarsh across Norwich's second through fifth scoring positions, continuing a trend of tight pack running behind Dillon as the Cadets move toward the postseason.

Norwich finished with 136 points, placing fifth among 18 scoring teams and just nine points behind host Western New England University for fourth.

The Cadets will now turn their attention to the 2026 GNAC Championships, hosted by Colby-Sawyer College at the Morris Trail on Sunday, Nov. 1. The women's six-kilometer championship race is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.