NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — Smith College cross country heads to Waterford, Conn., on Saturday for the Connecticut College Invitational at Harkness Memorial State Park. The Women's White Open race starts at 10 a.m., followed by the Women's Blue 6K at noon, in a field that includes 11 nationally ranked programs.

MEET INFO
Date: Saturday, Oct. 17
Site: Harkness Memorial State Park, Waterford, Conn.
Host: Connecticut College
Races: Women's White Open, 10 a.m. | Women's Blue 6K, noon

SCOUTING THE BEARS
Smith enters its fourth meet of the season after placing fifth out of 27 teams in the Women's Red Championship 6K at the KSC Invitational on Oct. 3. The Bears scored 186 points against a 244-runner field and finished ahead of NEWMAC foes Babson, Wheaton, Springfield and Mount Holyoke. Two weeks earlier, Smith swept the first six places for a perfect 15 points to win its home Ellen O'Neil Invitational. The Bears opened the fall with a fifth-place finish at the Trinity Invitational.

Lucy Kreipke (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) has led Smith in all three races, winning the individual title at the Ellen O'Neil in 23:27.4 and placing 16th at Keene in 22:34.6. Avery Grace Maiese (Waterford, CT/Waterford High School) has been the Bears' second finisher in both 6K races, while first-year Hadley Smith (North Yarmouth, Maine/North Yarmouth Academy) has been among Smith's top four in every meet. Catherine Collins (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) was the fourth scorer at KSC in 23:47.4.

THE FIELD
Host Connecticut College is No. 4 in the USTFCCCA Mideast Region and No. 23 nationally, and it won the Trinity Invitational in September by sweeping the top three individual spots. Williams, which won the KSC team title, leads the field at No. 1 in the Mideast and No. 2 in the nation. Other nationally ranked entrants include No. 6 Tufts, No. 8 Middlebury, No. 11 MIT, No. 15 Vassar, No. 17 Washington and Lee, No. 24 Wesleyan, No. 25 St. Olaf, No. 26 Ohio Wesleyan and No. 30 Bates.

Nine teams ranked in the Mideast Region are entered, offering a look at the competition Smith will see at the NCAA Mideast Regional on Nov. 14. Four NEWMAC rivals are also in the field: MIT (No. 2 Northeast), Wellesley (No. 7 Northeast), Coast Guard (No. 8 Mideast) and WPI (No. 10 Northeast).

BEAR BITES

• Saturday is Smith's final meet before it hosts the NEWMAC Championship on Oct. 31.
• The Bears have already raced Connecticut College, Coast Guard and Trinity this fall at the Trinity Invitational, and Williams, Bowdoin and Wellesley at the KSC Invitational.
• Smith's top five at Trinity finished with a 1:09 spread, the fourth-tightest pack in the field.

NUMBERS TO KNOW
15 — Smith's perfect score at the Ellen O'Neil Invitational
11 — Nationally ranked teams in Saturday's field
27 — Teams in the KSC Red Championship race, where Smith placed fifth
23:21 — Smith's top-five average at KSC
1:42 — Spread between Smith's first and fifth runners at KSC

UP NEXT
Smith hosts the NEWMAC Championship on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 11 a.m. in Northampton.

About Smith Athletics
Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information, log on to GoSmithBears.com and follow the Bears on Facebook and Instagram.