Team Effort Leads Wellesley Cross Country to Smith Invite Title

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – The Wellesley College cross country team opened the 2012 season with a win at the Smith Invitational on Saturday morning. The Blue used considerable depth, topping the 14-team field in the 5k event.

Wellesley placed seven runners in the top 22, to grab the team title away from Smith by just one point. The Blue's top finisher, first-year Victoria Lee, took eighth overall in a time of 20:32.67, leading a pack of Wellesley runners that finished in 8th-11th place. 

Sophomore Taylor Bickford crossed the line in ninth place in 20:37.84, followed by seniors Sara Putterman (20:44.03) and Ada Smith (20:44.43). First-year Sharon Ng (20:58.31) rounded out the scorers for Wellesley, with a 16th place performance.

Wellesley's sixth and seventh runners, while not contributing to the overall score, were a major factor in the Blue earning the team title. Sophomore Vanessa Wilkins (21:02.95) finished 17th and first-year Alessandra Gavin (21:22.66) finished 22nd, both displacing the final scorer for Smith, allowing Wellesley to grab the title.

Senior Cristina Lucas (21:28.47) rounded out the top finishers for Wellesley, taking 24th overall in the 153-runner field. 

Smith's Kylee Drugan-Eppich took individual honors at the event, crossing the line in 19:59.41, just ahead of teammate Danielle Opatovsky, who came in second in 19:59.81.

This is the second straight season that Wellesley won the team title at the Smith Invitational.

Wellesley cross country returns to action next Saturday, at the UMass-Dartmouth Invitational, running at 12:00pm.