JOHNSON, Vt. — Three consecutive finishes in the top five helped the Southern Vermont College women's cross country team win the 2015 Johnson State Invitational on Saturday.
The Mountaineers bested SUNY Canton by seven team points to take first, topping the other four crews at the meet. Leading the way for SVC was junior captain Shelby Whitman (Bennington, Vt.) who came through second overall at 23:10.3, and Bennington College sophomore Annika Kristiansen (Keene, N.H.) was next for the Mountaineers with a time of 23:15.3 to take third overall on the 5,000 meter course.
Southern Vermont junior Schyler McGuire (Mechanicville, N.Y.) was the fourth runner to cross the line, coming through with a 24:13.8 showing as she beat out a Green Mountain College and SUNY Canton runner in the final mile. BC sophomore Isabella Poulos (Milwaukee, Wis.) was fourth for SVC and 11th overall, coming in at 26:20.6, while Mountaineer senior Emily Freling (Schenevus, N.Y.) rounded out the Southern Vermont top five with a time of 27:17.6 to place 15th.
"The women did great beating Suny Canton, who they have raced against the last two weekends," commented SVC head coach Kathleen Newton. "The women really stepped it up and displaced a few of [SUNY Canton's] scoring runners. Emily Freling placing top 15 and moving up in scoring was amazing! The women were so excited to win a meet, and I'm very proud of both teams."
SVC junior Emily Lesure (Cheshire, Mass.) shaved 11 seconds off her previous best for a new personal-record time of 27:32.4, and junior Kaylee Cross (Lewis, N.Y.) took 1:59 off her mark from two weeks ago to come in with a new personal best of 34:08.9. Senior Ashley Perrino (Schenectady, N.Y.) knocked off 42 seconds from last week's time to finish at 35:27.2.
The Mountaineers next head to Mount Greylock Regional High School for the Purple Valley Classic hosted by Williams College, the September 26 5k scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m.
Southern Vermont
2nd – Shelby Whitman: 23:10.3
3rd – Annika Kristiansen: 23:15.3
4th – Schyler McGuire: 24:13.8
11th – Isabella Poulos: 26:20.6
15th – Emily Freling: 27:17.6
17th – Emily Lesure: 27:32.4 (PR)
32nd – Morgan Kaeppel: 32:25.1
33rd – Kaylee Cross: 34:08.9 (PR)
34th – Ashley Perrino: 35:27.2