BETHELEHEM, Pa. (09/29/2006)—The Colgate University women’s cross country team placed 13th of 35 teams with 421 points at the 33rd annual Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University on Sept. 29. The 13th place finish is the highest for the Raiders since they first started competing in the event in 1998.

 

The Raiders edged Patriot League foe Lehigh by two points, while conference opponent Lafayette took 26th. Bucknell led all Patriot League schools in eighth place. Thirteenth-ranked Princeton compiled 61 points on the afternoon to win the overall meet and No. 9 Wisconsin was second with 62 points. Villanova’s Frances Koons ran away with top individual honors, posting a 6k time of 20:16.

 

Junior Elizabeth Kennedy (Towaco, N.J.) paced the Colgate contingent, posting the fastest 6k time in Colgate history. She covered Lehigh’s course in 21:44 to take 42nd of 237 runners. She dropped an incredible 43 seconds off her time at last year’s Paul Short Run.

 

Senior Elizabeth Crowley (West Simsbury, Conn.) also bested the previous school record, running a personal-best time of 22:16 for 59th place overall. She averaged a 6:08 mile over the course of the 3.7-mile race, dropping over a minute from her previous 6k time this season.

 

Junior Kathryn Marvel (Williamsburg, Mass.) and sophomore Kristen Kiraly (Huntington, N.Y.) paced each other throughout the race, crossing the line in 95th and 98th respectively. Marvel ran a 22:52, 12 seconds faster than last season, while Kiraly hit the tape one second later in 22:53.

 

Senior Hannah Failing (Deerfield, N.Y.) rounded out the top five for Colgate with a time of 23:21 for 127th overall. Classmate Meaghan McAnaney (Syracuse, N.Y.) clocked in at 23:30 and sophomore Jessica Kielty (Depew, N.Y.) finished the race in 23:48, 13 seconds faster than last season.

 

Seven Raiders also competed in the women’s open race. Sophomore Caitlin English (West Seneca, N.Y.) led the way for this group, taking 94th of 401 competitors with a time of 23:58. Freshman Emily Oliver (Annapolis, Md.) also had a strong run, covering the 3.7 miles in 24:01 for 100th overall.

 

Rookie Jenn Bradley (Findlay, Ohio) rounded out the Raiders’ top three in the open race with a time of 24:26 for the 142nd spot.

 

The Raiders will take a week off from racing before heading to the Albany Invitational on Oct. 14. That will be Colgate’s final preparation for the Patriot League Championship on Oct. 28 in Hamilton.