Waterford, Conn. - October 16, 2021 - The Mount Holyoke cross country team traveled to the Connecticut College Invitational hosted at Harkness Memorial State Park on Saturday afternoon. The Lyons had four finishers in the Caroline Grape '22 Memorial Race and did not produce a team score.

The Connecticut College Invitational featured some of the top-ranked Division III women's cross country programs including sixth-ranked Williams as well as No. 12 MIT, No. 13 Amherst, No. 15 Bates, No. 17 Tufts, No. 23 Middlebury, No. 25 George Fox, No. 26 WPI, No. 28 Wesleyan, and No. 35 Brandeis according to the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III National Rankings. Williams won the meet with 74 points, while MIT (99), Tufts (120), Bates (163), and Middlebury (167) rounded out the top five. 

Leading Mount Holyoke College in the Caroline Grape '22 Memorial Race with a fifth-place overall finish was standout junior Lauren Selkin (Greenwich, Conn.) who produced a personal-best time for a 6k by over 1:03 and crossed in 21:54.7. Up next was senior Madeline Rieders (Arlington, Mass.) who clocked in a season-best time of 23:10.9 followed by classmate Hannah Rieders (Arlington, Mass.) who also ran a season-best performance of 23:11.1. Rounding out the field for the Lyons was senior Simone Jacob (San Francisco, Calif.) who recorded a season-best time of 24:13.2.

Mount Holyoke also had eight student-athletes compete in the JV race. The Lyons finished seventh overall with a score of 225 points beating New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) competitors WPI, Smith, and Springfield. Leading the pack was sophomore Bridget Hall (Arlington, Mass.) who produced personal-best time of 25:28.0 followed by classmate Emily Hood (Hardwick, Mass.) who also clocked in a personal-best time of 26:02.1. Next up for the Lyons was junior Devan Ravino (West Kingston, R.I.) who finished with a season best of 26:06.8 followed by first-year Kim Beaver (Agawam, Mass.) who crossed the line with a personal best of 26:16.4. After that was first-year Olivia Johnson (Mount Desert, Maine) who ran a personal best of 26:24.7 followed by classmate Greta Trapp (La Crosse, Wis.) who also produced a personal best of 26:35.7. Rounding out the field for the Lyons was junior Eliza Butler (Hartsdale, N.Y.) who crossed the line with a personal best of 28:00.7 followed by first-year Julia Burm (Hingham, Mass.) who finished with a personal best of 28:47.6.

Up next, the Mount Holyoke College cross country team will compete at the NEWMAC Championship, hosted at Nehoiden Golf Club in Wellesley, Mass. on October 30, 2021. The race is set to begin at 12:00 p.m.

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