FREDERICK, Md. - The Hood College women's cross country team competed in, and hosted, the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships at Utica Park.

How it Happened

• Raphaella Henson-Vendrell led the Blazers by finishing 55th in 25:00.9, the 33rd-fastest time in school history.
• Saoirse Conley crossed the line in 25:07.2 for 57th place. It was a personal best and the 40th fastest time in school history. 
• Lauren Fancella placed 95th with a time of 26:32.3, and Krista Przywara covered the course in 26:34.8 for 97th.
• Haylee Plaudis placed 109th finishing in 27:30.8, and Lauren Crossey placed 122nd in 28:43.9.
• Julee Wells placed 123rd and Shayna Hancock placed 135th. Wells finished in 28:58.8 and Hancock finished in 30:54.9.
• Kaylee Weaver placed 141st, finishing in 34:05.9.

Notes

• Messiah College won the team championship with 71 points.
• Keri Jones from Lebanon Valley College finished the course in 21:34.3 to claim the individual championship title.
• Hood was 10th with 328 points. It marked the best finish at the conference championships for the women's program since 2014.

Quote

• "Wow, today was a fantastic showing on so many levels. It was great to showcase our great course at Utica Park which provided an outstanding venue for championship cross country racing. The weather was also perfect, and we got to see some fast times across the board," said head coach Chris Benassi. "Our men and women went out there competed from wire to wire, moving way up in the conference. Last year, our men's and women's teams finished 11th and 13th, respectively, and for them to move up to ninth and 10th was a breakthrough team performance. In this sport, it's tough to put your best days together on the same day, but we ran for each other and it showed on the course. Our seniors in Chris and Lauren Fancella really ran tough races, and to have such a young team, makes this all the more special. With conference now out of the way, it will be really fun to head to the regional championship and find out how many teams we can beat in two weeks."

Up Next

The Blazers will compete in the NCAA Mid-East Regional on November 16 at Lehigh University.