BETHLEHEM, PA. – The Merrimack women's cross country team traveled to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to compete in the Paul Short Invitational where they finished 27^th overall. The Warriors logged a series of personal bests over the 6,000 meter course.

How it Happened
Junior Maci Chapman paced all Warriors, finishing 81^st in a field of over 280 runners with a time of 22:59.8. This marked Chapman's fasted collegiate 6k to date. Next to cross the line for the Warriors was Graduate Madison Cote who also set a personal record in the 6k race, finishing in 23:13.5 to take 102 place. Rounding out the Warriors top three was Avaline Fihlman who finished in 23:27.9 to capture 133 place. Kristina Ponzio also added critical points for the Warriors, racing 23:35.7 for a 144^th place finish. Freshman Olivia Guckian rounded out the Warriors top five with her time of 24:16.18 for 200^th place.

The Warriors competed in the Brown 6,000 meter subdivision featuring 35 teams including top competitors: New Hampshire, Catawba, Vermont, and Saint Francis. Merrimack also had the opportunity to race against conference foes Siena, Marist, and Canisius.

Coaching Spotlight
"The Paul Short Invitational is perhaps the most competitive cross country race on the East Coast. We didn't have two out of our top three runners and that had a significant impact on our team place. We did have some nice individual performances with several PR's and that was good to see. A tight 1-7 pack will continue to be a major point of emphasis in the coming weeks."


The Basics
Team Results: 27/35
Top Finisher: Maci Chapman
Location: Bethlehem, PA.  | Lehigh University Campus

Up Next:

The Warriors will compete in the New England Championships, set to take place in Hopkinton, N.H on Saturday October 12.

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