Keene, N.H. - August 31, 2019 - The Mount Holyoke College cross country team took second overall in its first meet of the 2019 season, the Early Bird Invitational hosted by Keene State College on Saturday morning.
The Lyons, which accumulated 48 points in the race, was led by first-year Lauren Selkin (Greenwich, Conn.), who was followed by Sydney Nash (New Hartford, Conn.), Simone Jacob (San Francisco, Calif.), Olivia Griesmer (Austin, Texas) and Hannah Rieders (Wellesley, Mass.) to round out the top five.
As a team, Mount Holyoke College finished the race strong and were able to make significant moves in the pack in order to score better than a pair of teams that were ranked in the Top 25 of New England a season ago, including Keene State (No. 19) and Eastern Connecticut (No. 22).
Selkin was able to pass more than 20 runners in the last 1000 meters of the course, a distance in which she produced a team-low time of 3:21 in order to finish fifth overall in the meet with a time of 12:05.0, while Nash was able to produce a time of 12:22.8 to take seventh overall. Jacob was able to finish strong as well, as she finished the last 1000 meters in 3:30 to produce a time of 12:28.8, finishing just ahead of Greismer, who remained consistent throughout the course, crossing the finish line in 12:29.2.
Rounding out the top five was Reiders, who closed the last 1000 meters with a time of 3:27 to finish 19th with a time of 12:40.4. Madeline Rieders (Wellesley, Mass.) also had a time of 3:27 in the final 1000 meters to finish seventh on the Lyons with a time of 12:46.8. Finishing sixth on Mount Holyoke and 21st in the race was Katie Milligan (Scituate, Mass.), as the sophomore recorded a time of 12: 42.9.
Following the race, three student-athletes were honored within the Lyons' program, as Selkin earned "Kick of the Week" recognition, while Griesmer was named the "Runner of the Week" and Meryl Phair (Stockbridge, Mass.) was the "Teammate of the Week".
The Lyons will now turn their attention to the Jim Sheehan Memorial Invitational, which will be hosted in Leominster, Mass. on Saturday, September 7. The race is set to begin at 10:30 a.m.
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