Sept. 11, 2010
Link to Results
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Competing with some of the best teams in the region, the Navy women's cross country team took fifth place at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational on Saturday in University Park, Pa. Georgetown, ranked No. 3 in the Mid-Atlantic region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), finished first with 28 points. Princeton (45 points), Penn State (59 points) and LaSalle (129 points), who are all ranked in the top 10 in the USTFCCCA regional poll, rounded out the top four.
"We had a good day, but more importantly, everybody ran stronger and more focused today," said head coach Karen Boyle. "Jess Palacio ran really well again this weekend; she looked strong throughout the entire race."
Palcio led all Mids across the finish line as she placed sixth overall with a personal-best time of 21:08.
Freshman Rachael Honrath finished 27th with a time of 22:07, followed by junior Mollie Hebda who took 34th with a 22:30.
"I was impressed with everybody's focus, especially the younger girls," Boyle said. "They are starting to get the feel for the distance and working together. Overall, I just thought it was a much stronger effort."
Sophomore Brigid Byrne turned in a 22:38 and placed 38th overall, while a pair of freshmen in Zatha Loewen and Liz Milewski took 43rd and 48th with times of 23:00 and 23:09, respectively.
The Mids' 148 points slotted them just ahead of St. Joseph's 150. Navy, No. 13 in the Mid-Atlantic region, also finished ahead of Delaware, who placed 10th, and is ranked No. 11 in the region.
Navy will host the Salty Dog Invitational next Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at the USNA Golf Course.
