WATERFORD, Conn. — Smith College cross country placed 22nd of 28 scoring teams in the women's Blue race at the Connecticut College Invitational on Saturday at Harkness Memorial State Park, led by a 40th-place finish from Lucy Kreipke (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) in a field of 259 runners.
Kreipke covered the 6K course in 21:47.5 in cloudy, 49-degree conditions with north winds near 19 mph. Sofia Jurusz (Wildwood Crest, NJ/Middle Township) was the second Smith finisher, placing 112th in 22:48.7, and Avery Maiese followed in 134th at 23:05.8. Hadley Smith (North Yarmouth, Maine/North Yarmouth Academy) (23:25.7) and Catherine Collins (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) (23:37.3) completed the scoring five, while Amelia Gronert (24:07.4), Abigail Lei (24:37.4) and Elise Kennedy (Middletown, CT/Middletown) (25:01.9) also ran for the Bears.
Smith totaled 541 points with a team average of 22:57.00, finishing two points behind Haverford and three behind TCNJ. The Bears placed ahead of NEWMAC opponents Wellesley (26th) and WPI (28th). Middlebury won the team title with 63 points, edging Williams by two, and Middlebury's Audrey Maclean took the individual win in 20:36.6.
In the White race, Smith placed 28th of 33 teams with 695 points, tied on points with Wentworth. Aranza Torres Encinas and Violeta Rechea (Melrose, MA/Melrose High School) ran together throughout and finished a tenth of a second apart, placing 92nd (24:13.0) and 95th (24:13.1). Gabrielle Lou and Annika Wells (Ashland, OR/Ashland High School) crossed together in 26:16.1, and Indie Lamb (Barrington, RI/Barrington High School) (26:26.3) and Sascha Wadhams () (27:47.2) rounded out the lineup. The Bears finished ahead of NEWMAC foe Mount Holyoke (30th) in the race.
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.
