MECHANICSVILLE, Va. -- The UMass Lowell cross country team ran against top competition from across the country Saturday afternoon at the Spider-Patriot Cross Country Classic, co-hosted by the University of Richmond and George Mason University. 

"Getting to see quality competition was good to prepare us for the conference championship in two weeks," commented Head Coach Gary Gardner. "It was also good to see where we stacked up against other top NCAA programs."

The River Hawk men scored 73 points to finish in third place in their race, while the women placed fifth with a score of 159.
 
The women ran the 5k in the first race of the day and were led by junior Izzy Giesing (Bradford, Vt.). Giesing finished 11th overall, running a time of 17:30.0. Senior Emily Sessa (Tewksbury, Mass.) was the next UMass Lowell runner in, coming in 15th at 17:37.1. Classmate Jenna Solimine (Haverhill, Mass.) rounded out the top three River Hawks, turning in a time of 17:53.8, good for 25th.
 
"Overall, the women did extremely well," exclaimed Gardner. "They moved up three spots as a team in the last mile. To place fifth in the quality field was terrific for us. Izzy, Emily, Jenna and Mary ran outstanding, fighting all the way to end."
 
The River Hawk men competed in their first 5-mile event and were led by senior Kyle Cloutier (Lancaster, Mass.), who finished ninth with a time of 24:43.4. Junior Drew Everett (Amesbury, Mass.) finished just seven seconds behind Cloutier, posting a time of 24:50.0. Graduate student Christopher Alfond (Ashby, Mass,) was the third River Hawk to cross the finish line in 24:54.7, good for 12th place. Senior Derek Holmes (Marshfield, Mass.) also locked up a top-20 finish, taking 17th with a time of 25:00.1.
 
"The men ran well in parts of the race," said Gardner. "We struggled the last mile where we slipped from second to third as a team. All-in-all it was good to get the rust off against some quality competition, which should have us ready for conference."

Up next, the River Hawks will compete at the America East Championships in Galloway, N.J. on Friday, March 5.