Wellesley Cross Country Competes at NEICAAA Championships

BOSTON, Mass. – The Wellesley College cross country team placed fourth among Division III teams and 19th overall on Saturday at the the 2014 New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association (NEICAAA) Championships at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass.

The woman's varsity 5k race featured 38 Division I, II and III colleges and universities from across New England.

The Blue finished with a team score of 397 in the Varsity 5k event. Junior Priyanka Fouda was Wellelsey's top overall finisher, placing 66th with a time of 18:41.14. She was followed closely by sophomore Mary Keenan who finished with a time of 18:42.37, good enough for 68th place. 

Senior Taylor Bickford finished seconds behind Fouda and Keenan, coming in 85th with a time of 18:51.37. Nicole Chui (19:04.77) and Alice Zhou (19:46.32) rounded out the Blue's top-five scoring runners, finishing 118th and 165th, respectively. 

First Year Taylor Fortmann and sophomore Sara Vannah also competed in the varsity race for Wellesley. Fortmann finished 183rd with a time of 20:02.58, while Vannah finished just behind her in 189th place with a time of 20:06.47.

In the sub-varsity race, the Blue finished 13th overall and fifth among Division III teams. Sophomore Edie Sharon earned Wellesley's top overall time, coming in 60th with a time of 19:47.98. She was followed by Alessandra Gavin, as the junior came in 82nd at 19:54.44.

Rounding out the top five for the Blue: Sonja Cwik finished 94th with a time of 20:03.05, Heather Smith came in 102nd at 20:12.40 and Laura Brindley finished 131st with a time of 20:31.16.

Claire Salerno and Ali Dunn also raced in the sub-varsity event for Wellesley. Salerno finished 158th with a time of 20:52.11, while Dunn came in at 195th with at time of 21:14.80.

Wellesley cross country will return to action next Saturday at the 2014 Seven Sisters Championship, hosted by Mount Holyoke College.