HARRY F. ANDERSON INVITATIONAL - FULL RESULTS
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The Daemen College women's cross country team put themselves square in the conversation surrounding the top NCAA Division II East Region teams today thanks to a fifth place showing at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational held on the campus of Roberts Wesleyan College. The meet presented the stiffest challenge for the Wildcats to date with four regionally ranked squads among the 15-team field.
Daemen, which opened the season by winning back-to-back races for the first time in the program's NCAA Division II era (2015-present), had four runners place in the top 50 and out-paced both Adelphi and Felician - the No. 7 and 8 ranked teams in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) East Region poll. Daemen totaled 130 points in the team standings. Felician (248 points) and Adelphi (249 points) placed eighth and ninth, respectively.
SUNY Geneseo, ranked 12th in the USTFCCCA Division III national poll, featured five the top eight finishers and placed first with 24 points. The Knights bested Stonehill, the No. 5 ranked Division II East Region team. Stonehill had three runners place in the top 10 and finished second with 58 points.
Rochester (58 points) and Roberts Wesleyan (91 points) rounded out the teams ahead of Daemen. The host Redhawks are ranked third in the East Region.
Windsor Ardner of Geneseo took home medalist honors, pacing the field of 184 runners with a time of 18:11.1. She edge teammate Kathleen McCrarey who placed second (18.13.9).
Today's race was held on the same course that will host the East Coast Conference Championships (October 23) and the NCAA Division II East Region Championships (November 6).
HIGHLIGHTS
- The Wildcats were paced once again by redshirt senior Kassandra Nolet (Fort Erie, Ont.) and freshman Marcy Colca (Getzville, N.Y.) who placed 11th and 12th, respectively. Both Nolet (18:49.4) and Colca (18:57.3) posted sub-19-minute times for the second consecutive race. They had also done so at the Daemen Duels on September 11 when they placed first and second, respectively.
- Junior Courtney Merrill (Speedway, Ind.) continued the strong start to her cross country career, finishing as the Wildcats' third scorer for the third straight race. Merrill, who competed in triathlon and track and field during her first two collegiate years, placed 27th with a time of 19:31.5, shaving nearly 20 seconds off her Daemen Duels time.
- Senior Sarah Golas (Alden, N.Y.) and freshman Emma Cain (Lockport, N.Y.) also scored for the Wildcats. Golas placed 41st with a career-best time of 19:57.3 - the first time she's gone sub-20-minutes in a 5K. In just the third race of her collegiate career, Cain broke into the Wildcats' scorers for the first time, finishing 55th with a time of 20:21.7.
- Six additional runners competed for the Wildcats today:
- Sophomore Haley Hinds (Blossvale, N.Y.) placed 63rd with a time of 20:34.2.
- Sophomore Camryn Bailey (Geneva, N.Y.) placed 85th wit a time of 21:07.0.
- Redshirt junior Hannah Thomas (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) placed 91st with a time of 21:20.2.
- Redshirt senior Amanda Bushway (East Aurora, N.Y.) placed 115th with a time of 22:13.3.
- Sophomore Emma Grzebinski (West Seneca, N.Y.) placed 124th with a time of 22:46.5.
- Freshman Megan Chamberlin (Amherst, ,N.Y.) placed 141st with a time of 24:07.6.
UP NEXT
Daemen heads to Lehigh University for the prestigious Paul Short Run on Friday, October 1.
Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.
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