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

"Overall a good opener," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "It was a quick turnaround from being in the Berkshire on Thursday to racing today. Anna ran great for her first collegiate race, solid opener for Krista, and personal bests for Lena and Selena."

Freshman Anna Fondakowski led the way for the River Hawks, claiming eighth place with a time of 19:10.00. Classmate Krista Bettez followed her in 13^th place with a 19:47.70 mark, before junior Lena Takahashi (Holden, Mass.) and sophomore Selena Wood (Abington, Mass.) crossed the finish line consecutively in 15^th and 16^th place, respectively with times of 19:51.80 and 19:53.80.

Freshman Brooke Nedeau and sophomore Haley Evans rounded out the River Hawk runners, with Nedeau earning 22^nd place with a time of 20:31.40 and Evans claiming 31^st with a 21:23.20 mark.

The team will now gear up for next Saturday's Suffolk Short Course Classic on September 6.