NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (Sept. 10, 2011) – With sophomore Lucia Garcia leading the way, the Mount Holyoke College cross country team grabbed sixth place at the Smith College Invitational this morning. It was the Lyons' first appearance of the 2011 season.
Garcia took home 23rd place overall with a time of 21:36.30. Mount Holyoke also received a boost from first year Sarah Hastings, whose time of 21:43.87 was good for 27th place. Classmate Emily Baker crossed the line in 21:55.43 to secure 34th place. A total of nine Lyons finished in the top 60 overall.
The field consisted of 16 teams from around the region. Wellesley College grabbed first place overall with a score of 29. The Blue were followed by the Coast Guard Academy (34) and Salve Regina University (109) in the top three.
Coast Guard first year Beth Gollin took home top honors by completing the 5,000 meter race in 19:43.94. A total of 181 runners took part in the meet.
Mount Holyoke will return to action next Saturday at the Maine Invitational. The competition is slated to get underway at 2:30 p.m. and will be hosted by Bowdoin College.
