The 25th-ranked Middlebury women's cross country team opened its campaign by claiming the top spot at the Silloway Maple Syrup Challenge. The Panthers grabbed the top-14 placings to secure 15 points. Norwich earned second with 72 points, while Western New England scored 75 points to secure third.

COURSE INFORMATION 

• Location: Randolph, Vt. 
• Host School: Vermont State University Randolph
• Distance: 6 kilometers (6K)
• Weather: Light rain, mid 60s
• Place: 1st of 7

HIGHLIGHTS

• Claire Palmer and Annelise Jensen had a dead heat toward the finish line. Palmer broke the tape first with a time of 19:25.44, while Jensen was right behind in 19:25.56.
• Audrey MacLean (19:25.65) and Shea Fajen (19:52.54) earned third and fourth, respectively.
• The final Middlebury scorer was Sheldyn Fisher with a clocking of 20:31.99.

NOTES

• Palmer becomes the third Panther to earn the top spot in the season-opening invitational since 2022.
• MacLean lowered her career best by nearly a second, while Fisher shaved over three seconds off her previous best time. 

Middlebury returns to action on Saturday, hosting its annual Aldrich Invitational. The race kicks off at 11:00 a.m.