CASTLETON, Vt. – A handful of tremendous improvements from a week ago highlighted the Southern Vermont College women's cross country team's performance at Saturday's Castleton State University Invitational as the Mountaineers took third in the seven-squad field.

While there was only one SVC runner in the top 10, Southern Vermont placed another three in the top 20. The Mountaineers tallied 74 team points as the Albany College of Pharmacy won the meet with 48 points.

Southern Vermont is back in action next Saturday, September 17 at Johnson State College.

FULL RESULTS: http://svcathletics.com/sports/wxc/2016-17/files/Castleton_Invitational_Women-s_Results.pdf

Bennington College sophomore Annika Kristiansen (Keene, N.H.) was first across the line for the Mountaineers with a time of 21:39, taking 30 seconds off her mark from a week ago. She was followed by Bennington classmate Isabella Poulos (Milwaukee, Wis.) who was next to finish for SVC, tallying a 22:21 in her first race of the season as she placed 11th overall.

Southern Vermont senior captain Shelby Whitman (Bennington, Vt.) placed third for her team with a 22:14- crossing 10 seconds faster than last week for 15th overall- while classmate Skye McGuire (Mechanicville, N.Y.) came in fourth for SVC and 19th overall at 25:00; McGuire's time was seven seconds ahead of that which she posted last Saturday.

Sophomore Morgan Arleth (Berlin, Vt.) rounded out the Mountaineers' top five, trimming 30 seconds off her mark from her last race with a 25:51 showing. Senior Emily Lesure (Cheshire, Mass.) was next for the team with a 27:54, and sophomore Morgan Kaeppel (Vernon, Vt.) took 26 ticks off her mark from last week to cross the line at 28:57. SVC senior Kaylee Cross (Lewis, N.Y.) had the biggest improvement, by far, from a week ago as she chopped off 4:23 to finish the 5000 meter race at 31:25.

Southern Vermont
7th - Annika Kristiansen: 21:39
11th - Isabella Poulos 22:21
15th - Shelby Whitman: 24:14
19th - Skye McGuire: 25:00
22nd - Morgan Arleth: 25:51
30th - Emily Lesure: 27:54
33rd - Morgan Kaeppel: 28:57
39th - Kaylee Cross: 31:25

– #LetsGoSVC –