ST. ALBANS, Vt. – The UMass Lowell women's cross country team kicked off the 2024 season up at the Vermont Invitational Saturday afternoon, hosted by Vermont at Hard'Ack Recreation Area in St. Albans. 

"Overall, it was a really good start," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "We tried to give some of the younger athletes a chance to compete early in the season. The women did'nt race quite as many as the men, but I was impressed with who we had compete. I am most pleased with the grit they raced with."

In the 5k race, it was freshman Georgia Brooks (Groton, Mass.) that led the way with a 21st-place finish and time of 19:16.3.

Freshman Lauren Long followed her up in 47th place with a 20:36.1 mark, before freshman Selena Wood (Abington, Mass.) finished 52nd with a 20:51.0 mark and sophomore Lena Takahashi (Holden, Mass.) claimed 54th with a time of 21:08.2 to close out the River Hawks. 

The River Hawks do not compete again until Saturday, September 21, when they travel to the UMass Dartmouth Invitational.