Women's Cross Country Competes at Conn. College Invitational

By Jim Fenton

WATERFORD, Conn. -- The Bridgewater State University women's cross country team competed on Saturday at the Connecticut College Invitational held at Harkness Memorial State Park.

Senior Naomi Cass (Westport, Mass.) took part in the Caroline Grape '22 Memorial Blue Championship Race and finished 34th.

Cass completed the six-kilometer Harkness course in 21:36.77 in a race that was won by Audrey Maclean of Middlebury in 20:17.20. She was the lone BSU participant in the afternoon race.

Sophomore Rhiannon Vos (Marstons Mills, Mass.) was the top Bridgewater State University finisher in the open race.

Vos was eighth out of 345 runners on the 6-kilometer course on Saturday morning.

The Bears did not place in the open team standings with Williams College, ranked second nationally in Division III, finishing first with 20 points.

Vos had a time of 22:36.9 to lead BSU. In her previous meet, the Keene State Invitational, Vos had a career-best time of 22:29.80 to finish 21st.

Two other BSU runners took part in the meet with freshman Olivia Pendleton (Yarmouthport, Mass.) finishing 189th and sophomore Olivia Downin (Hudson, Mass.) winding up 211th.

Pendleton's time was 25:27.6 while Downin finished in 25:54.7.

The top seven teams to place are all nationally ranked, led by Williams and followed by Tufts (18th in the country), MIT (fifth), Middlebury (13th), NYU (No. 1), Vassar (19th) and Amherst (12).

Williams had the top four finishers, led by Estella Laird, who covered the course in 22:02.6.

BSU will race in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships on Nov. 1 at Stanley Park in Westfield, Mass.