WATERFORD, Conn. -- The Mount Holyoke College cross country team hung tough amid a stocked multi-regional field of teams Saturday at the Connecticut College Invitational, placing 23rd out of 26 teams in the Blue (varsity) race.
The race drew 10 nationally ranked teams to Harkness State Park and several more regionally ranked teams, but head coach Jay Hartshorn said the Lyons fit right in.
"We knew the race would go out to a really fast pace, but collectively we did a great job following our game plan, being patient at first and running hard in the middle. And I thought we were competitive in a great field."
Among 210 runners, Mount Holyoke's seven runners all placed between 119th and 199th. Junior captain Tessa Lancaster (Mansfield, Mass.) and senior captain Bridget Hall (Arlington, Mass.) led the way in 119th and 123rd places, respectively, covering the 6-kilometer course in 23:45.0 and 23:47.7. Junior captain Greta Trapp (La Crosse, Wis.) placed 146th (24:20.2), followed in the scoring by sophomore Katie Earle (East Kingston, N.H.) in 157th (24:40.9) and junior Kim Beaver (Agawam, Mass.) in 161st (24:47.7). Junior Olivia Johnson (Mount Desert, Maine) and in 180th (25:19.0) and first-year Jane Miller-Arsenault (Middlesex, Vt.) in 199th (26:30.6).
No. 5 nationally ranked New York University won the team scoring with 36 points. Mount Holyoke (625 points) finished three points behind 22nd-place Plattsburgh State and outscored Eastern Connecticut State (651), Westfield State (668) and Babson (819).
