LEOMINSTER — The Fitchburg State University women’s cross country team is happy with the results from its lone home meet of the season.
The Falcons rested more than half of their roster, but those who competed set good benchmarks, as FSU finished in eighth place in a highly contested field of 13 on Saturday in the Jim Sheehan Memorial Alumni Cross Country Meet at the Doyle Conservation Area.
Fitchburg finished with 219 points, behind Babson who finished seventh with 167, and ahead of Western New England University, which took ninth (253 points). Although Fitchburg State was short-staffed, its five-member team posted an average time of 23 minutes, 30.6 seconds, which is well ahead of where the Falcons were at this point last year.
Mount Holyoke College, of South Hadley, won the meet, scoring 34 points, well ahead of second-place University of New England (76 points). Former Fitchburg State University All-American men’s miler Chris Kibler is the head coach of the Mount Holyoke team.
“There was a very strong competition here today, so we did pretty well,” Fitchburg State University head coach Jamie Aubuchon said. “I’m not really concerned about how we look this early in the season, just that we’re running strong, confident and hungry. We rested people, so our small nags go away, and our team is going to shape up strongly over the next few weeks.”
Junior college transfer Olivia Mullins led the way for Fitchburg State, finishing in 23rd place with a time of 20 minutes, 39 seconds on the 5K course. It was the first home race for Mullins and just her second NCAA race, as the Falcons opened up last Saturday in a meet at Keene State College.
“The first mile I felt good, and eased into it more,” Mullins said. “I tried to pick off people the best that I could for the rest of the race. I’m trying to do everything I can for the team and the school. I love our course, it is really nice, and it was perfect weather. It was a great day for racing, and like coach said, this the biggest turnout we’ve had for this meet.”
Abby Murphy was not too far behind her Falcon counterpart. Murphy clocked in at 20:51 in 27th place. It was a difficult start for the freshman from Quincy, but knowing the trail helped her to finish strong.
“It was very crowded in the beginning and hard to find your spot in the race,” Murphy said. “So I kind of went out a lot faster than I expected, which affected my whole race a lot. The hills really took a toll on me. Knowing the course helped me to prepare myself for the rest of the race.”
Lilah McAndrew was the third Falcon to cross the line, and was within striking distance of her two teammates for most of the race. McAndrew finished 32nd in 21:05, and is part of a talented freshman class that is just getting acclimated with the college-level competition.
“I started a little too fast, but when I saw (Murphy) and (Mullins), they kept me going,” McAndrew said. “The hill on the second loop was pretty tough, after that it is pretty flat. The energy of a college race is the same as high school, but it’s exciting to take it to the new level.”
Erin Maida finished fourth on the team for the second consecutive week, taking home 104th place with a time of 24:49. Melony Ellis completed the Falcons’ participation and scoring, taking home 120th in 30:09.
Mount Holyoke is a highly touted team from the NEWMAC, one of the most competitive cross country conferences in the country. The Lyons had all of their top six runners in the race finish in the top 12, with Lauren Selkin (4th, 19:10), Hannah Rieders (5th, 19:12) and Madeline Rieders (6th, 19:14) leading the charge.
“We love this course so much and love the competition,” Kibler said. “We have big goals for the season, and we break things up into stepping stones, and this was stepping stone No. 2. I’m really proud of the effort of our ladies.”
