Women’s Cross Country Competes in Stacked Field at Conn. College
Kelly was the first Owls athlete to cross the tape in a field featuring 16 nationally ranked programs in Division III.
WESTFIELD, Mass. – Senior Julianne Kelly (Natick, Mass.) was the first Owl to cross the finish line for Westfield State, which competed in a loaded field featuring 16 nationally ranked teams, 33 total programs and 261 runners at the Connecticut College Invitational on Saturday.
Kelly posted a time of 22:57.19 to finish 121st overall with Reese Stevens (Agawam, Mass.) right behind, checking in at a time of 23:05.45 (137th overall).
Shea Hamel (Longmeadow, Mass.) was the third Owls athlete to cross the line, registering a time of 23:14.80 for a 147th ranking.
The top 11 spots in the team rankings were all held by nationally ranked teams, including the top five in the most recent poll. Second-ranked Williams College won the meet with 73 points, followed by fifth-ranked MIT (97 points) and third-ranked Johns Hopkins (113 points).
The Owls finished in 28th place of 33 teams with a total of 753 points in what was the Owls most challenging field of competitors it has faced all season.
Individually, Audrey Maclean of Middlebury repeated as champion and posted the second-fastest meet time ever. Prior to this year, only five runners had ever broken 21:00 in the history of the women's 6K race; the top four did so today.
The Owls also travelled to the Western New England Invite as part of a split squad day. Molly Lenehan (Newington, Conn.) was first across the finish line for the Owls, generating a 28th place mark in a time of 25:13.89. Erin Jacobson (West Springfield, Mass.) earned a 52nd place tally in 26:12.73. The Owls were tenth as a team with 253 points.
Today's competitions served as terrific tune-ups for the Owls upcoming MASCAC Championship meet where Westfield State will go for their sixth straight title on Saturday, November 1 – Hosted by Westfield State University at Stanley Park in Westfield, Mass.