LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's cross country team traveled south to Connecticut State University Friday afternoon to compete in the CCSU Mini Meet.

"The women were outstanding today," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "It was great to see how the middle distance runners performed so well." 

The Sub Varsity 3K got the meet started and the River Hawks finished second as a team. It was sophomore Emily Burdick (Billerica, Mass.) that led the way for the River Hawks, taking ninth place out of 58 total runners with a time of 10:47.75, while senior Kaitlyn Stevens (Oxford, Mass.) also earned a top 10 placement with a time of 10:48.26. Junior Nia Mainer-Smith (Taunton, Mass.) was not far behind, crossing the finish line in 12th place with a 10:56.77 mark.

The final four River Hawks to finish were all freshmen, with Isabel McIntyre (Dover, N.H.) leading the way, claiming 17th place with a time of 11:06.28, before Selena Wood (Abington, Mass.) collected 21st-place honors with an 11:12.18 mark. Brenna Corcoran (Haverhill, Mass.) came in at 11:23.16 for 27th place, while Haley Evans (Glastonbury, Conn.) rounded them out with a 32nd-place performance and 11:33.43 mark.

Junior Dantia Braccio (Nashua, N.H.) also competed unattached, taking 45th with a time of 12:34.75.

In the Varsity 3K, the team finished 10th, and freshman Raihana Yameogo was at the forefront of the River Hawk squad, crossing the finish line in 41st place out of 83 runners with a 10:37.48 mark. Senior Vivian Mac (Randolph, Mass.) took 52nd with a time of 10:51.67, before sophomore Emma Eagan (Danvers, Mass.) and freshman Lauren Long (Lunenburg, Mass.) finished in 63rd and 65th place, respectively. Eagan finished in 11:02.97, while Long collected a time of 11:06.51. Sophomore Lena Takahashi (Holden, Mass.) also competed, finishing in 71st with an 11:17.20 mark.

This meet served as the final meet before the 2024 America East Cross Country Championships, which will take place next Saturday, November 2, beginning at 11:00 a.m.