Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke Athletics. Greta Trapp '25 placed 58th in the women's varsity 5K with a time of 19:30.80 on Sept. 17, 2023.
By Emily Tarinelli ’25
Sports Editor
Mount Holyoke College Cross Country stormed to a 13th-place finish out of 37 competing teams at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Cross Country Invitational. At the event on Sunday, Sept. 17, Boston University claimed first place in the women’s varsity 5K race with a total time of 1:27.47 and 26 points, followed by Stonehill College with 94 points and Connecticut College with 99 points.
“This was a big invitational, and the start line was packed,” Jane Arsenault-Miller ’27 said. Out of the four competing teams from the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference, the Lyons’ varsity team emerged on top of the women’s varsity 5k, defeating fellow NEWMAC members Salve Regina University (16th), Springfield College (18th) and Wheaton College (22nd). To top it all off, Mount Holyoke placed fourth out of all competing Division III institutions. With a total time of 1:39.14, Mount Holyoke scored 407 points.
“Our team showed a very strong performance. To finish fourth in Division III is such a motivator for the rest of our training this fall as we start to think about championship races,” Arsenault-Miller said.
Individually, Tessa Lancaster ’25 was Mount Holyoke’s fastest finisher in the women’s varsity 5K. With an average mile time of 6:05.30, Lancaster breezed past the finish line in 18:55.00 to claim 37th place out of 280 runners. Greta Trapp ’25 was the Lyons’ team runner-up, coming in 58th place with a time of 19:20.80. Bridget Hall ’24, Kim Beaver ’25, Jane Miller-Arsenault ’27, Olivia Johnson ’25 and Katie Earle ’26 placed 73rd, 124th, 138th, 144th and 164th respectively.
In the women’s junior varsity 5K, Anita Konopka ’27 was the first Lyon to finish, claiming 27th place out of 119 competitors with a time of 20:58.90. Maya Evans ’26 placed 46th with a time of 22:02.80 — a hair’s breadth ahead of Lily Nemirovsky ’24, who clocked a 47th-place finish in 22:02.90. Orion Griesmer ’24 finished 66th with a time of 23:02.60.
The Lyons will next compete in the Keene State Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 30.
Editor’s Note: Lily Nemirovsky ’24 is a member of the Mount Holyoke News staff.