CANTON, N.Y. – Smith College women's cross country saved its best for last at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional on Saturday, delivering its strongest team performance of the season and finishing just one point shy of a top-10 team finish on the Ronald C. Hoffmann Championship Cross Country Course in Canton, N.Y.

Junior Lucy Kreipke (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) led the charge with an All-Region performance, once again rising to the moment on a championship stage. The veteran front-runner worked her way through a crowded early pack and closed hard over the final kilometer to secure All-Region honors and put the Bears firmly in the top half of the 24-team field.

Behind Kreipke, first-year Avery Grace Maiese (Waterford, CT/Waterford High School), sophomore Sofia Jurusz (Wildwood Crest, NJ/Middle Township), and seniors Hillary Connor (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth) and Lyda Martin (San Antonio, TX/Lee) formed a tight scoring pack, moving up steadily through the middle miles as the conditions became more challenging. That one-through-five compression kept Smith locked into a battle for a top-10 finish all race long, with the Bears ultimately landing just a single point outside the top 10 when the scores were finalized.

Depth once again proved to be a strength, as Smith's sixth and seventh runners continued to pick off competitors late, helping secure another strong regional showing and building on a season that included a fourth-place finish at the NEWMAC Championship and competitive efforts at Wesleyan, Paul Short, and the Conn College Invite.

"The team ran their best race of the season when it mattered most, just missing a top 10 finish by a single point," said Director of Cross-Country & Track and Field Jack Wood. "Led by Lucy Kreipke's (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) All-Region finish, the entire team showed incredible grit and determination in tough conditions." The performance gives Smith back-to-back top-tier regional finishes and further cements the Bears' rise within the Mideast Region, following last year's 10th-place team result at NCAA Regionals.Smith College Athletics

Smith Top Performers
Lucy Kreipke (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) – All-Region finisher, led the Bears' scoring five
Lyda Martin (San Antonio, TX/Lee) - Finished 42nd with a time of 23:06. 
Hillary Connor (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth) - Finished 85th with 24:38
Sofia Jurusz (Wildwood Crest, NJ/Middle Township) - Finished 92nd with a time of 25:04
Avery Grace Maiese (Waterford, CT/Waterford High School) - Finished in 98th place 

UP NEXT

Kreipke will race at the National Championships next weekend in Spartanburg, SC. More info to come. 

About Smith Athletics: Smith College is an NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information, log onto GoSmithBears.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.