The #8 Middlebury women's cross country team had all five scorers place inside the top 35 to take home the team title at the Connecticut College Invitational at Harkness Park. The Panthers, who scored 63 points, outlasted #1 Williams by two (65), while #11 Tufts was a distant third with 131 points. 

COURSE INFORMATION

• Location: New London, Conn. (Harkness Memorial State Park)
• Host School: Connecticut College
• Distance: 6 kilometers (6K)
• Weather: 50 and cloudy
• Finish In Blue Race: 1st/28

HIGHLIGHTS

• Audrey MacLean paced the runners in the blue race, breaking the tape with a winning time of 20:36.6. She won by 13 seconds over Vassar's Haley Schoenegge.
• Joining her teammate in the top three was Claire Palmer. The junior claimed third place at 20:54.9.
• Annelise Jensen stayed within the top six throughout the race before surpassing Kate Tuttle of Williams on the final split, crossing the line fifth (21:02.5).
• Rookie Annecy Vlieks saved her stamina for the final sprint, rising five spots to stop the clock at 21:35.0 for 21st place.
• Closing the scoring for Middlebury was MK Cestaro. Sitting 74th after the first 1.65 kilometers, the junior consistently picked off runners, eventually climbing to 35th in the final standings with a time of 21:44.5.

NOTES

• MacLean joins Amanda Weiss of Amherst (1993, 1995, 1996) and Connecticut College's Maura Danahy (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001) as the third runner to win the invite three or more times. Her time also slots as the third-fastest in the meet's history.
• Palmer reset her career-best clocking by 11 seconds, while Jensen shaved nearly 50 seconds off her best time.
• Saturday's result marks Middlebury's first win at the Connecticut College Invitational since 2018.
• The blue race featured eight teams ranked in the top 25 of the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll.
• The Panthers claimed third in the white race, headlined by top-15 finishes from Molly Lesyna (10th - 22:43.2) and Pippa Barrett (15th - 22:57.4). Both times were career clockings for the rookie runners.
• Before the race, the program honored seniors Lulu Baker, Adrienne Christy, Sheldyn Fisher, MacLean, Ruby Pendy, Stephanie Renouf and Caroline VanSchaick.

Middlebury returns to action on Saturday, October 31 for the NESCAC Championship. The Panthers will host the conference meet for the fifth time and seek their 15th title.