Women's Championship Results
Women's Open Results

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The Cornell women's cross country teams produced an outstanding seventh-place team finish against a nationally competitive field of 45 teams and 400 runners at Lehigh's Paul Short Invitational on Friday in Bethlehem, Pa.

Despite extremely muddy conditions which made a significant impact on the race and finishing times, the Big Red women were undeterred by the competition and the conditions and raced very well.

Against a large and nationally competitive field, the Cornell women stepped up  with an impressive team showing. The Big Red women placed seventh with 209 points, finishing only behind No. 3 Providence, No. 5 Villanova, No. 1 Georgetown, No. 12 Syracuse, No. 16 Virginia and were a mere four points behind Heps rival Yale. The Big Red placed ahead of No. 33 Dartmouth, No. 31 Boston College and No. 9 Duke as well as Heps rivals Brown, Harvard and Penn. 

The team was led for the third time this season by junior Katie Kellner, who had a terrific race to place 13th in 20:57 over 6K, a significant course and career personal best.  In the lead pack for the first two miles, Kellner competed very well against some of the finest runners in the East and indeed the country. 

Classmate Genna Hartung shook off a tough start to rally in a big way over the final 3K, placing 28th in a fine 21:10.  Sophomore Emily Shearer was out assertively and continued her season of breakthroughs with a 38th place time of 21:18, a thirty second personal best. 

Freshman Marianne Collard continued to make a big impact on the team's fortunes with a 58th-place finish in 21:36, besting her personal record by 17 seconds. Sophomore Devin McMahon cracked the team's top five for the first time this season with a very strong effort, crossing the line in 72nd place and a time of 21:51. Classmate Dale Kinney moved up extremely well the last 3K of the race to place 78th, topping her own personal best by 41 seconds with a 21:55 finish. Senior Janel Parker rounded out the team's top seven, placing 100th in the field of 396 runners in a time of 22:12.

Freshman Sydney Williams (115th, 22:20, PR), junior Kate Rosettie (132nd, 22:31) and sophomore Rachel Sorna (145th, 22:37, PR) also competed well in the Championship race for the Big Red. Despite the muddy conditions, Kellner, Hartung and Shearer produced times that are now amongst Cornell's all-time top 10 at Lehigh's course, with Kellner's time the second best in school history at Lehigh. 

Cornell also had runners in the Open race. Sophomore Liz Simpson ran assertively throughout to place ninth in 22:20, senior Christine Smith was 19th in 22:39, senior captain Meghan Brown was 22nd in 22:45, freshman Vrinda Jagota was 23rd in 22:50, freshman Katie Johnson was 27th in 23:01, junior Suzana Markolovic was 32nd in 23:17, freshman Corey Dowe was 50th in 23:26, senior Shelby Herman was 53rd in 23:38 and junior Alyssa O'Connor was 75th in 24:04. 

The Big Red competes next on Oct. 15th and 16th.  A contingent will race at the Pre-National meet at Indiana State in Terre Haute, Ind., on Sunday, Oct. 16th and Cornell will also have athletes racing at the Yellowjacket Invitational in Rochester, N.Y. on Saturday, Oct. 15th.