ITHACA, N.Y. – Mike Henderson, The Alan B. '53 and Elizabeth Heekin Harris Head Coach of Women's Track & Field/Men's and Women's Cross Country, has welcomed 22 newcomers to the Big Red women's program in advance of the 2020-21 season.
 
Six student-athletes (Bella DiPalermo, Bridget Forbes, Izzy MacFarlane, Elizabeth Rene, Amanda Schwartz, and Alyssa Walker) join the Cornell women's cross country team as well.
 
The talented group makes its way to Cornell from all-over, hailing from 14 different states and Greece. Among the newcomers are seven sprinters, four jumpers, three distance runners, three middle-distance runners, two throwers, one multi, one hurdler, and one pole vaulter, with multiple student-athletes excelling in more than one discipline.

Meet the Newcomers

Delaney Benedict
Sprints / Springfield, Ohio (Greenon HS)
Personal Bests: 200-meter – 25.54 / 400-meter – 55.69
A three-sport varsity student-athlete at Greenon High School, Benedict earned awards and achievements in soccer, basketball, and track and field. A dominant athlete and the Ohio state runner-up in the 400-meter dash as a sophomore, Benedict brings a personal-best of 55.69 to a strong and competitive Big Red quarter-miler event group.

Alana Berry
Sprints / Chicago, Ill. (Whitney M. Young Magnet HS)
Personal Bests: 400-meter – 58.68
Berry is a versatile long sprinter with strong state and national competitions under her belt. She is a USATF All-American in the 4x400-meter relay and the Cornell women's track and field program is excited to see that success in a Big Red uniform.

Rachel Bonnet
Multis / Haddonfield, N.J. (Haddonfield Memorial HS)
Personal Bests: Heptathlon – 3,779 / Pentathlon – 2,818
Bonnet is very new to the multi-events but shows great promise in becoming a strong heptathlete. She has a tremendous work ethic and the Big Red women's track and field program is excited to help her grow as a student-athlete.

Ella Bormet
Throws / Valparaiso, Ind. (Morgan Township HS)
Personal Bests: Shot Put – 40' 3" / Discus – 120' 0" / Weight Throw – 45' 3"
Coming to Ithaca from Morgan Township High School, Bormet will look to be an all-around contributor to the Big Red throws group. While her junior season was highlighted by a best of 40'3" in the shot put, Bormet would go on to compete at the Indiana state championships in both the shot put and discus. During her brief indoor campaign in 2020, Bormet showed early promise in the weight throw as well, throwing a personal-best of 45'3" in her one and only competition. Bormet has the potential to instantly contribute to the Big Red in multiple throwing events.

Cassidy Cheesman
Jumps / Lafayette, Colo. (Centaurus HS)
Personal Bests: Triple Jump – 36' 7"
Hailing from Lafayette, Colorado, Cheesman is an up and coming jumper whose hard work and positive attitude will take her far. She is bound to have a positive impact on the Cornell women's track and field team and its culture.

Vashti Claybrook
Sprints / Miami Gardens, Fla. (Ransom Everglades School)
Personal Bests: 200-meter – 25.26 / 400-meter – 57.38
Claybrook is an extremely experienced track and field athlete, placing fourth at the very competitive Florida Middle School State Championship prior to her high school career. Claybrook has range from the 100-meter to the 400-meter dashes, and she has the ability to contribute in all of the various sprints while at Cornell.

Nyia Cummings
Hurdles/Sprints / Upper Marlboro, Md. (St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School (Va.))
Personal Bests: 400-meter hurdles – 1:04.72
Cummings comes to Cornell as a long hurdler with short and long sprinting capabilities. An athlete of the year recipient and a DC All-Metro honoree, Cummings finished as the runner-up in three events at the 2020 VISAA Indoor State Championships. The Maryland native is the next addition to the Big Red's ever- growing hurdles squad.

Erin Daugherty
Sprints / Dallas, Texas (Ursuline Academy of Dallas)
Personal Bests: 100-meter – 12.40
Daugherty joins the Big Red as a short sprinter that has shown huge improvement throughout her high school career. The Cornell women's track and field team is looking forward to watching her continued improvement here in Ithaca.

Bella DiPalermo
Distance (XC) / Mount Sinai, N.Y. (Mount Sinai HS)
Personal Bests: 800-meter – 2:20.15 / 1500-meter – 4:49.33 / 3000-meter – 10:25.10
Coming to Cornell from Mount Sinai High School, DiPalermo has drastically improved during her high school career. She is eager to add depth to the Big Red's nationally ranked cross country squad, while shaking up the league in the 1500-meter, mile, and 3k races.

Bridget Forbes
Distance (XC) / Winnetka, Ill. (New Trier HS)
Personal Bests: 800-meter – 2:16 / 1600-meter – 5:04.50 / 3200-meter – 11:06.22 / 3-mile (XC) – 17:28.40
Hailing from the highly successful track and field program of New Trier High School, Forbes has a competitive fire in the cross country sphere, as well as on the track. She played a key role on New Trier's 4x800-meter relay team that won the 2019 IHSA 3A Girls State Track and Field Championship.

Caroline Geller
Hurdles/Jumps / Rye, N.Y. (Rye Country Day School)
Personal Bests: 100-meter hurdles – 17.23 / Triple Jump – 31' 3.5"
Geller is a New York state native coming from Rye Country Day, which is the same school as recent Big Red track and field alumnae Jinjer Pearce '20. Geller's work ethic will continue to propel her in the classroom and on the track at Cornell.

Lindsey Gigliello
Pole Vault / San Jose, Calif. (Branham HS)
Personal Bests: Pole Vault - 12' 6"
Gigliello had a great high school career with plenty of first place finishes, highlighted by jumping 12'6" at the CIF Central Coast Finals. Having had her senior season taken away from her, Gigliello is ready to jump some high bars and make her presence known in the Ivy League.

Lauren Jones
Sprints/Jumps / Fairfax Station, Va. (South County HS)
Personal Bests: 60-meter – 7.74 (c) / Triple Jump – 38' 1.5" / Long Jump – 17' 9"
Jones is an extremely versatile student-athlete with competitive prep marks in the short sprints and jumps. She is a Virginia native that has earned various all-state honors and is a multiple-time national qualifier. Jones is expected to continue her versatility on the track and in the field at the championship level at Cornell.

Meilee Kry
Jumps/Sprints / Danbury, Conn. (Danbury HS)
Personal Bests: Triple Jump – 38' 2.75" / Long Jump – 18' 8.75"
Kry is a dual jumper that has shown strength in both the long and triple jump events. She has qualified for and competed well at the Connecticut State Championships, the New England Championships, and New Balance Nationals. In addition to jumping, Kry shows potential in both the short and long sprints and will help the Cornell track and field program in many ways.

Izzy MacFarlane
Mid-Distance (XC) / Wynnewood, Pa. (Friends Central School)
Personal Bests: 400-meter – 58.80 / 800-meter – 2:17.83
Coming to Cornell from Friends Central School, MacFarlane has recently branched out from her sprinter background and is freshly embarking on her journey to mid-distance. MacFarlane has an abundance of untapped potential and raw talent that she will be showing off in no time.

Abby Nonnenberg
Throws / Wall Township, N.J. (Wall HS)
Personal Bests: Discus – 143' 10" / Shot Put – 36' 10"
The discus specialist from Wall High School added over fifteen feet to her best as a junior in 2019. Nonnenberg won 11 of 13 competitions in the discus during her junior campaign, with two of her biggest wins coming at the conclusion of the regular season. Not only was she the New Jersey Group 2 Champion, but Nonnenberg would go on to win the New Jersey Meet of Champions with a personal best throw of 143'10".

Markella Papandreou
Sprints / Agia Paraskevi, Greece (Athens College)
Personal Bests: 60-meter – 7.65 / 100-meter – 12.01 / 200-meter – 25.02
Papandreou is an extremely explosive short sprinter. She is a member of the Greek U18 National Record-setting 4x100-meter relay team and previously held the Greek U18 National Record in the 60-meter dash. Papandreou has raced at many high level competitions around the world prior to arrival in Ithaca, and her international experience and success will be welcome additions to the Cornell women's track and field program.

Elizabeth Rene
Distance (XC) / Los Angeles, Calif. (Palisades Charter HS)
Personal Bests: 1500-meter – 4:49 / 1600-meter – 5:09
After graduating from Palisades Charter High School in 2019 at the age of 17, Rene decided to take a gap year to really focus on her training. After making massive strides, Rene is primed and ready to show off all of her efforts in the middle distance and distance events.

Alexa Richardson
Sprints / Atlanta, Ga. (Woodward Academy)
Personal Bests: 200-meter – 25.47 / 400-meter – 58.10
Richardson is a long sprinter that has competed on high levels in track and field. Her open events range from the 200-meter to 800-meter, and she can contribute on nearly every relay. Richardson was the lead-off leg for her USATF Junior Olympic National Champion 4x400-meter relay team. The Big Red will look for Richardson to continue posting both open and relay achievements at Cornell.

Amanda Schwartz
Mid-Distance (XC) / Hollywood, Fla. (Pine Crest School)
Personal-Bests: 800-meter – 2:17.84 / 1600-meter – 5:12.49
Joining the Big Red from the Pine Crest School, Schwartz is ready to put her speed and endurance talents to the test. Schwartz ran the lead-off leg for Pine Crest's state championship-winning 4x800-meter relay team in 2019, while also competing at Nike Cross Country Nationals as a senior. She has the ability to contribute to the Cornell women's track and field program in a big way in the middle distance events.

Alyssa Walker
Mid-Distance (XC) / Horseheads, N.Y. (Horseheads HS)
Personal Bests: 800-meter – 2:17.57 / 1,000-meter – 3:01 / 1500-meter – 4:44.75
Another New York native, Walker's speed can and will be utilized in a number of areas for the Big Red. The sky's the limit for all of the potential that Walker has in this sport, and the Big Red cross country and track and field family is very excited to have her join the program.

Catalina Zaloj
Jumps / Ithaca, N.Y. (Lansing HS)
Personal Bests: High Jump – 5' 7"
Zaloj is an Ithaca local who attended Lansing High School. With that being said, she is no stranger to Barton Hall, as she has set many personal-records there. The Cornell women's track and field program is eager to help Zaloj set many more personal-bests in the future.