BRONX, N.Y. – The UMass Lowell women's cross country team earned a 17th-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Northeast Regional on Friday at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, finishing third out of all unranked teams.

The River Hawks totaled 498 points, only two behind Brown, who finished 16th. Brown had the second-best finish of all unranked team, as Cornell placed the highest, picking up 12th. The River Hawks beat out America East foe and fifteenth-ranked Binghamton by four placements.

"Overall, it was a solid day," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "Both team fought throughout, and we finished right at our team rankings."  

It was sophomore Mary-Kate Finn (Nashua, N.H.) who led the River Hawks on the day with the best individual finish. Finn collected valuable points, finishing in 29th place in the 6K race with a personal best time of 20:33.3.

"Mary-Kate moved all the way up to 18th at one point, and then inexperience caught up to her a bit in the last 1k, but it was still a good race," said Gardner. "I am excited to see what Mary-Kate will do the next few years." 

Senior Hannah Doherty (Billerica, Mass.) was the other River Hawk to finish within the top 100, finishing the race in 95th place with a personal-best 21:32.6. Doherty fought hard towards the end of the race to secure her placement. Senior Mary Yount (Northampton, Mass.) was the next River Hawk to finish, crossing the line in 111th place with a 21:43.7 mark, while sophomore Miana Caraballo (Methuen, Mass.) finished just behind in 119th place with a time of 21:49.7. Sophomore Kylie Marion (Baldwinville, Mass.) was the last River Hawk to cross the finish line, completing the race in 151st place with a personal-best time of 22:22.6.

Overall, the UMass Lowell women's cross-country team had a strong showing, finishing in the top half of all 37 teams that competed in the event.

The River Hawks have a quick turnaround with the indoor season just a few weeks away, beginning with the Suffolk Invitational on Saturday, December 2 at the TRACK at New Balance.