Skip To Main Content

Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
WXC group huddle
Geoff Schneider

Wildcats Place Five In Top 25 To Finish Second At Highlander Invitational

10/7/2023 1:53:00 PM

By: CONTACT: Mary Margaret Johnson, Assistant Athletics Communications Director | mmjohnso@daemen.edu
HOUGHTON, N.Y. -- Daemen University fifth-year senior Hannah Thomas (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) led the Wildcats for the fourth meet this season and was the first of five Daemen runners to place in the top-25 as the Wildcats raced to a second place team finish at the Highlander Invitational.

Thomas placed fifth out of 88 runners with a 6K PR time of 23:09.8 on Saturday. Senior Camryn Bailey (Geneva, N.Y.) posted a 6K PR time of 23:20.7 to finish seventh overall. Junior Emma Cain (Lockport, N.Y.) finished 18th overall with a time of 24:07.1. Running in her first meet of the 2023 season, East Coast Conference Preseason Runner of the Year Courtney Merrill (Speedway, Ind.) finished 21st overall with a time of 24:34.8. Sophomore Patsy Oberholzer (Greece, N.Y.) rounded out the Daemen scoring with a 22nd place finish, crossing the finish line at 24:40.7. 

The Wildcats posted a second-place team score of 73 this afternoon, behind only Ithaca (38) who placed all five runners in the top 15. RIT (84), PSU-Behrend (85), and Houghton (106) rounded out the top-five. Oswego State (174), Fredonia (175), Brockport State (196), Alfred (221), and Keuka (280) were the final five teams in the meet.

Daemen will remain in WNY to run in the Canisius Alumni Classic next Saturday, Oct. 14 at Delaware Park in Buffalo. 

NOTABLE
  • Thomas shaved over a minute off her previous 6K personal record of 24:10.1 set at the 2022 NCAA Division II National Championships. 
  • Bailey was two seconds faster this afternoon than her previous PR of 23:22.4, set at the 2022 East Region Championships.
  • Cain shaved 12 seconds off her previous 6K PR of 24:19.8 from the 2022 East Region Championships. 
  • Sophomore Hayley Pizur (Grand Island, N.Y.) finished 53rd overall with a PR time of 26:51.5, almost one minute faster than her previous 6K PR of 27:49.2 set at the 2022 Highlander Invitational. 
Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 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.

Follow the Daemen University cross country/track and field program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenXCTF.
Print Friendly Version