BRYN MAWR, Pa. - The Mount Holyoke College cross country team put forth an outstanding effort on Sunday, finishing runner-up at the 2015 Seven Sisters Championship, hosted by Bryn Mawr College. The Lyons edged out Vassar by a 79 to 81 margin for second-place, which marked the team's best finish since winning the event in 2007.
Mount Holyoke has won three Seven Sisters Championships in their history (1992, 1999, 2007), but this is the first time the Lyons have earned runner-up in the championship's history.
The finish for MHC puts the squad in outstanding position for the remaining portion of their schedule, including the 2015 NEWMAC Championships on November 1 and the 2015 NCAA New England Regional Championships on November 14. The Lyons also have their sights set on this year's NCAA Championship, which will be held on November 21 at Lake Breeze in Winneconne, Wisconsin.
This year's Seven Sisters Championship saw Wellesley College take the top four spots and seven of the top ten to earn the title. The Blue finished with a team score of 16, followed by Mount Holyoke (79) and Vassar (81). Smith was fourth (118), with the host Owls in fifth (120). St. Catherine's finished sixth (142), while Simmons rounded out the efforts in seventh (173).
Individually, Wellesley's Priyanka Fouda took the individual championship for the second straight year, with a time of 22:58.
The Blue also saw junior Mary Keenan and freshman Mary Naas finished neck-and-neck for second and third, nine seconds behind their compatriot with times of 23:07. Sharon Ng took home fourth place with a time of 23:11, while host Bryn Mawr was the lone other school to get a top-five finish, as senior Hannah Hastings put on a great showing to finish in a top of 23:15.
Those five runners were each named to the All-Seven Sisters team, along with Carolyn Chelius, Isabella King, and Alessandra Gavin of Wellesley, Kathleen Ferrall of Smith, and Sunny Shan of Mount Holyoke.
Aiding the outstanding effort by the Lyons, in addition to Shan's ninth-place finish in a time of 23:35.4), was senior Elizabeth DeLeon, who was 11th overall with a time of 23:39.1. Sophomore Mia Barnes was close behind in 17th, crossing the line in a time of 23:50.2, while classmate Hannah Gershone was 23rd with a time of 24:09.5.
Junior Brianna Weir made it to the finish in a time of 24:37.4 - good for 32nd overall - followed by sophomore Kelly Stevens, who notched a time of 25:14.0, which was 46th. First year Corrin Moss was solid on the afternoon, posting a time of 26:08.5 for 57th. She was followed by classmate Emsie Cronin, who was 62nd on the day with a time of 26:48.1.
Sophomore Gargi Mishra had a time of 27:44.2, which was 71st, while classmate Julia Criscione was close behind in 73rd, sporting a time of 27:48.1. Sophomore Caroline Black finished 82nd overall with a time of 29:06.0, followed by first years Nora Taupier and Victoria Parrish, who were 87th (29:29.6) and 90th (30:14.1), respectively at this year's event.
All Seven Sisters Team
Priyanka Fouda, Wellesley (22:58.1)
Mary Keenan, Wellesley (23:07.2)
Mary Naas, Wellesley (23:07.8)
Sharon Ng, Wellesley (23:11.5)
Hannah Hastings, Bryn Mawr (23:15.8)
Carolyn Chelius, Wellesley (23:29.3)
Kathleen Ferrall, Smith (23:32.3)
Isabella King, Wellesley (23:33.7)
Sunny Shan, Mount Holyoke (23:35.4)
Alessandra Gavin, Wellesley (23:35.6)
Team Scores
Wellesley - 16
Mount Holyoke - 79
Vassar - 81
Smith - 118
Bryn Mawr - 120
St. Catherine's - 142
Simmons - 173
Portions of the release courtesy of Travis Galaska, Bryn Mawr Sports Information. Photo used by permission from Anthony Lee.
