BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The UMass Lowell women's cross country team went up against some of the best competition in the country on Saturday at the 2023 Paul Short Invitational hosted by Lehigh, finishing 29th as a team in the Women's Gold 6K, a race that featured runners from 44 total Division I schools.

Sophomore Mary-Kate Finn (Nashua, N.H.) led the way for the squad with an impressive 36th-place finish and 21:13.0 mark. Senior Mary Yount (Northampton, Mass.) was the next teammate to cross the finish line, earning 121st place with a time of 21:55.6. Sophomore Miana Caraballo (Methuen, Mass.) and senior Hannah Doherty (Billerica, Mass.) each picked up top-200 finishes, with Caraballo coming in 172nd with a time of 22:17.4 and Doherty in 195th with a 22:29.7 mark.

"Mary-Kate made a huge jump from a year ago and still has room to grow," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "Mary is still coming back from a little set back, but ran really well today. It was a good starting point. Once we add Sarah Ross to the lineup we should be in great shape." 

Sophomore Kylie Marion (Baldwinville, Mass.) (237th, 22:47.9), graduate student Arianna Braccio (Nashua, N.H.) (346th, 23:48.9), freshman Emma Eagan (Danvers, Mass.) (350th, 23:57.2) and sophomore Dantia Braccio (Nashua, N.H.) (370th, 24:37.4) also competed in the race for the River Hawks. 

Three runners also participated in the Women's Open 6K, as sophomore Mia Jones (Blacksburg, Va.) was the first of the three to finish, earning 109th with a time of 24:08.5. Junior Vivian Mac (Randolph, Mass.) and junior Kaitlyn Stevens (Oxford, Mass.) earned 157th and 160th place, respectively, to round out the River Hawk competitors. Mac came in at 24:42.8, while Stevens was not far behind with a time of 24:43.9. 

Next up, the River Hawks will travel to Franklin Park in Boston for the New England Championships on Saturday, October 7.