Women's Cross Country | 9/28/2024 12:30:00 PM

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Daemen University women's cross country team placed sixth out of 22 teams on Saturday at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational, hosted by Roberts Wesleyan University.

FULL RESULTS

After winning the men's 8K race one hour before, the Cornell women won the women's race with a team score of 18 after placing their top five runners 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 in the race. The Big Red placed 14 runners in the top-20 today. Host Roberts Wesleyan placed second with a team score of 107 while Rochester Institute of Technology finished third (113). 

Graduate student Courtney Merrill (Speedway, Ind.) placed just outside of the top-20 today and was the first Wildcat across the line, posting a personal best 5K time of 18:52.0 to finish 21st out of 255 runners in the race. Merrill shaved 14 seconds off her previous best (19:06.6) set at the 2021 ECC Championships. 

Graduate student Camryn Bailey (Geneva, N.Y.) was the second Daemen runner to finish today, placing 41st overall with a time of 19:28.2. Junior Christa Oates (Tonawanda, N.Y.) set her third PR of the season of 19:46.5 as she finished 50th. Oates shaved 18 seconds off her previous best (20:04.7) set at the Daemen Alumni Invitational two weeks ago. 

Junior Patsy Oberholzer (Greece, N.Y.) finished 69th overall with a time of 20:06.0, and freshman Lia Brasacchio (Victor, N.Y.) rounded out the Daemen scoring as the fifth Wildcat to finish, posting a PR time of 20:08.9 to place 73rd. Brasacchio has set a personal best in all three meets so far this season and shaved off six seconds from her previous best time (20:14.1). 

Senior Emma Cain (Lockport, N.Y.) and graduate student Emma Grzebinski (West Seneca, N.Y.) were the final two runners in Daemen's top seven today, with Cain placing 76th at 20:11.6 and Grzebinski placing 94th at 20:31.8. 

Junior Madeline Straub (Olean, N.Y.), freshman Kylie Piekarski (Lancaster, N.Y.), junior Hayley Pizur (Grand Island) and freshman Meagan Zupo (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) all competed for the Wildcats today. Straub placed 101st (20:45.0), Piekarski finished 131st (21:16.2), Pizur finished 144th (21:36.3) and Zupo finished 167th (22:04.8). 

The Wildcats will travel to Bethlehem, Pa. next Saturday, Oct. 5 to race in the Paul Short Run. 

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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.

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