ST. ALBANS, Vt. – Junior Mary-Kate Finn (Nashua, N.H.) finished in first place in the 5k race, as the UMass Lowell women's cross country team finished second overall at the 2024 America East Cross Country Championship Saturday afternoon at Hard'Ack Recreation Area in St. Albans, Vt.

New Hampshire went on the earn the team victory with 52 points, while the River Hawks were just behind with 73. Binghamton rounded out the top three with 85 total points.  

Finn earned her second consecutive America East Individual Championship with a time of 17:04.36, finishing more than 11 seconds faster than the second-place finisher.

"Overall, I am very pleased with the day on both sides," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "Mary-Kate ran aggressively, taking the lead immediately and running away from everyone the first few minutes of the race. Winning any of these titles is really difficult, but winning back-to-back is a testament to the work she's put in."

Graduate student Mary Yount (Northampton, Mass.) joined Finn on the All-Conference First Team, taking sixth place with a time of 17:38.33. Senior Sarah Ross (Agawam, Mass.) was next to finish for the River Hawks, collecting 13^th-place honors with a time of 17:55.04 for All-Conference Second Team honors.

Junior Miana Caraballo (Methuen, Mass.) took 23^rd place with a time of 18:15.75, before graduate student Rachel Thomas (Perry Hall, Md.) claimed 30^th place with a 18:25.82 mark. Junior Raihana Yameogo (Dillsburg, Pa.) crossed the line in 45^th place with a time of 18:42.17, as graduate student Hannah Doherty (Billerica, Mass.) was the final scorer for UMass Lowell in 48^th place with a time of 18:45.32. Freshman Georgia Brooks (Groton, Mass.) was not far behind, claiming 50^th with a 18:52.42 mark.

Junior Mia Jones (Blacksburg, Va.) and senior Delaney Swanson (Swanzey, N.H.) rounded out the River Hawk runners in 56^th and 65^th place, respectively. Jones recorded a time of 19:09.65, while Swanson came in at 19:21.48.

Following the race, Finn was awarded her Individual Championship trophy, While Ross (Francis College of Engineering) took home the Elite 18 Award for her 4.0 GPA in Plastics Engineering.

Next up, the River Hawks will look forward to the 2024 NCAA Northeast Regional, which they will be hosting in Hopkinton, N.H. on Friday, November 15, beginning at 11:00 a.m.