Owl Women Take Third Place at James Earley Invitational
Westfield finished with 99 points, behind just regionally ranked Williams (46) and Wesleyan (99). Roger Williams University (108) and Salve Regina (143) rounded out the top five teams at the meet.
WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Westfield State's women's cross country team raced to a third-place finish at the 28th annual James Earley Invitational meet on Saturday at Stanley Park.
Westfield finished with 99 points, behind just regionally ranked Williams (46) and Wesleyan (99). Roger Williams University (108) and Salve Regina (143) rounded out the top five teams at the meet.
Junior Shea Hamel was the first across the line for Westfield in 10th place in the individual standings in a time of 19:04.
Westfield had it's top seven runners all finish in the top 31 in the scoring as Hamel was chased home by Tealiei Chandonnet (Dracut, Mass./Greater Lowell Tech), (14th, 19:27) Julianne Kelly (Natick, Mass.) (22nd, 19:38) , Sophia Rebenciuc (Southwick, Mass./Bedford) (26th, 19:48) , Reese Stevens (Agawam, Mass.) (27th, 19:52) Eliza Lee (Walpole, Mass.) (30th, 19:57) and Brynne LeCours (Haverhill, Mass.) (31st, 19:59).
"I raced pretty well today, got a cross country PR (personal record time), it was great to work with our teammates, we've kind of all been interchanging throughout the season, so great day for the Owls! We expected to come in the top 3 , that was our goal as a team, so I am glad that we met that."
Williams College's senior Grace Kaercher won the race with a time of 18:19, followed by Yasmin Defne Dadikhi from Emerson in 18:30, and Chase Cerrell from Wesleyan in 18:40.
A total of 155 athletes finished the 5,000 meter course, which includes fields, trails and hills in the 300 acre Stanley Park which includes playing fields, display gardens, a duck pond, a colonial era village and a wildlife sanctuary. The race was held in near-perfect conditions under sunny skies and mid-60 degree temperatures.
The race is named in memory of James Earley, a Westfield State student-athlete who passed away in a motorcycle accident before his senior year in 1995.
Westfield will be back in action next weekend, at the Connecticut College Invitational in Waterford, Connecticut, which serves as a preview for the NCAA Regional meet later this fall. Some Owls athletes will also compete at the Western New England Invitational in Springfield.