TROY, N.Y. - Nia Goddard and Morgan Lee, both student-athletes on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's cross country team, have been selected for major year-end awards by the Liberty League for their performances over the course of the 2021 season. Goddard has been chosen as the Runner of the Year, while Lee has been named the Rookie of the Year, the conference has announced.

Goddard (Malvern, PA / Conestoga), a junior captain, was the Liberty League Performer of the Week five times, beginning after a victory in the season-opening meet at Vassar in mid-September. She was chosen again in early October after finishing seventh overall at the multi-divisional Paul Short Run at Lehigh University, where she set a career-best in the 6K (21:27.1). She closed the campaign by earning weekly awards in three of the final four weeks, including after winning the Liberty League Championship, placing seventh at the NCAA Mideast Regional and coming in 45th at the NCAA Championship. Goddard competed at nationals as an individual and was the league's top finisher in the event. 

Also a junior, Lee (Edgewater, MD / South River) was a four-time Liberty League Rookie of the Week. A former standout on the field hockey team, she ran in six meets and had three top-3 finishes: second at Vassar, third at the Saratoga Invitational, which RPI hosted, and third at the conference meet. She was the first rookie to finish at the conference meet and the first among league competitors at the NCAA Mideast Regional, where she finished 22nd.

She and Goddard were both All-Liberty League First Team honorees. Senior Grace Brolly (Geneva, IL / Geneva Community) and junior Jillian Lees (Delancey, NY / Delaware Academy Central) earned Honorable Mention for the Engineers, who were second as a team. All-Liberty League is based on place finish at the 2021 Liberty League Championship.

RPI, which is coached by John Lynch, won the titles at Vassar and Saratoga.