DARTMOUTH, Mass. – In a field comprising of competitors from Division I and Division II schools as well as Division III, the Regis College cross country team held its own Saturday at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational at the Robert Dowd Cross Country Course.
Ashleigh Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.) finished 17th overall, eighth among runners from Division III programs, with a five-kilometer time of 18:37.3. She averaged under six minutes per mile (5:59.6) as she ended up just over three seconds off the program record for five kilometers she established at the Bruce Kirsh Cup last year.
Erin Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.) earned a top-50 finish in the field that comprised of 285 competitors, crossing the finish line in 47th place with a time of 19:09.0, just six-and-a-half seconds off her collegiate best five-kilometer time. Madelyn Klein (Framingham, Mass.) once again placed third among Regis runners, posting a season-best time by over one minute at 21:22.6.
Libby Parker (Bow, N.H.) also earned a personal-best time for five kilometers, completing the course in 22:08.4, followed by Elizabeth Stevenson (Scituate, Mass.) at 22:33.0 and Annabelle Jean-Philippe (Randolph, Mass.) at 22:39.5, both significant improvements upon their previous collegiate best times. Jonnie Charest (Methuen, Mass.) cut nearly two full minutes off her previous top time at 23:16.4, and Katie Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.) completed the course in 24:58.8.
As a team, the Pride ended up in 23rd place with 652 points, ahead of schools such as Suffolk, Trinity, Franklin Pierce, and Babson. UMass Lowell easily won the team title ahead of Stonehill and Southern New Hampshire, with Lauren Selkin of Mount Holyoke winning the individual race with a time of 17:49.3.
Benjamin Happenny (Woonsocket, R.I.) completed the men's five-mile (approximately 8.05 kilometers) course in 29:30.3, averaging 5:54.1 per mile. Zach Sigman (Buffalo, N.Y.) posted a time of 29:53.7, averaging 5:58.8 per mile.
The Regis College cross country team returns to action in two weeks, traveling to Keene, N.H., for the Keene State College Invitational Saturday, Oct. 1, starting at 10 a.m.