WATERFORD, Conn. - The Messiah Women's cross country team finished 20th out of 26 teams at the Connecticut College Invitational, running a slew of fast times in quick conditions against an extremely competitive slate of teams. Ten of the teams in attendance at the Invitational were nationally ranked, with many teams present earning regional rankings as well. The Falcons scored 566 team points to finish in 20th, representing well both the Middle Atlantic Conference and Mid-Atlantic Region in the absence of any other teams with the same designation in the race. The Falcons earned a total top 5 time of 2:00:43 and finished with a top 5 average time of 24:08, faster than any performance by the Falcons from last year but behind their performance from several weeks ago at the Lock Haven Invitational. The Falcons benefited from excellent weather conditions and a largely flat course, but were also slowed down by the rocky, sandy, and gravelly terrain of the course. 
 
Falcon racers were divided into two races, the White race and the Blue race. The White race was the first to occur on the day and served as the open race for the competition, while the Blue race was made up of only the top eight runners from each team as selected before the race. 
 
Katie Anthony continued her streak as the top Falcon finisher, coming across the line in 26th place overall with a time of 22:20.7. This represents the second fastest time of her career, an impressive feat on the challenging terrain. Anthony opened swiftly with a 5:39 first mile and ran very consistently for the next two miles before finishing with an extremely quick final kick, passing several competitors to achieve a very high overall finish. 
 
Madison Kimmel also continued her streak as the second Falcon finisher in every race so far, finishing with a time of 23:42.4 to place 117th overall. Kimmel began the first mile with Teddi Powell before stretching away from her teammate during the second mile en route to a sub-24 clocking that was also her second fastest time to date. Kimmel maintained a remarkably consistent pace for the rest of the race after her quick opening mile, resulting in her strong overall performance. 
 
Teddi Powell finished as the third Falcon across the line, registering an impressive time of 24:16.3 to place 143rd overall. Powell opened the first mile swiftly with Kimmel before following behind her teammate's surge and also maintaining very consistent splits for the rest of the race. Powell finished very quickly in the home straight to cap off a strong showing on the day.
 
Natalie Hamlen was the fourth Falcon finisher on the day, earning a sub-25 clocking with a time of 24:57.4 to take 168th place. Hamlen started the race quickly with a 6:13 first mile, only a few seconds behind Kimmel and Powell. After her teammates stretched away, Hamlen ran very strongly despite being in isolation from any familiar company and finished well to stop the clock under 25 minutes.
 
Alyssa Nori returned to competition with an incredible race to finish as the fifth fastest Falcon on the day, achieving a personal best by two minutes with a time of 25:14.8. Nori's performance is even more remarkable given that she raced in isolation from any teammates while in the White race. Despite this being her second ever cross country race, Nori ran like an experienced racer with consistent splits throughout and a strong finish.
 
Julia Steel finished as the fifth Falcon in the Blue race, making her the last contributor to the Falcons' team score, and she also finished sixth overall amongst Falcons. Steel placed 182nd overall with a time of 25:26.8. Steel spent much of the race in isolation while trailing slightly behind Hamlen, ultimately turning in a very strong performance for the Falcons overall. 
 
Samantha Mynio was the sixth finisher for the Falcons in the Blue race, finishing in 186th place with a time of 25:39.1. Mynio started alongside Kayra DeVries at a more modest pace than Steel, but she remained within striking distance of Steel for much of the duration of the race about ten seconds back, ultimately following her teammate closely across the line. DeVries ran strongly for the opening kilometers of the race but did not finish the race for the Falcons. Ella Swayne was the final entrant for the Falcons in the Blue race, opening up her race closely behind Mynio and DeVries and finishing with a time of 26:15.0, the eleventh fastest time amongst Falcons on the day.
 
Kiersten Burch was the second White race finisher for the Falcons, finishing under 26 minutes with a new personal best time of 25:59.4. Burch and Jill Brotherton spent the entirety of the first three miles together before Burch made an incredible move during the final kilometer to surpass Hannah Steckbeck and break 26 minutes. Steckbeck began her race more quickly than Burch and Brotherton, but still turned in a strong performance for the Falcons with a time of 26:07.6. Brotherton consistently maintained her pace through the end of the race, registering a strong season-best time of 26:14.2 closely behind Steckbeck.
 
Allison Keller was the next Messiah finisher across the line, finishing in twelfth overall amongst Falcons with a time of 26:53.6. Keller began her race with Burch and Brotherton and followed behind her teammates' strong mid-race surges with another good performance for the Falcons. Closely behind Keller was the duo of Helen Blakeslee and Elizabeth Anthony, who ran together for the opening two miles before Blakeslee broke away, finishing with a time of 27:06.5. Anthony followed closely thereafter in a time of 27:30.3. 
 
Juliette Safer was the next finisher for the Falcons with a time of 27:55.2. Safer started quickly near Steckbeck but settled into a consistent rhythm to cross the line just ahead of the 28-minute mark. Sarah Smith followed shortly after, opening her race with Blakeslee and Anthony before registering a finishing time of 28:17.1 not long after Safer.
 
Lexi Lapp returned from injury to register her first and only race for the Falcons on the year, running a very consistent race to finish under 30 minutes with a time of 29:28.9. Also finishing in under 30 minutes was Julia Rickard, who turned in another strong performance for the Falcons despite battling through injury with a time of 29:47.6, just one place behind Lapp. Grace Bath rounded out the Falcons' efforts on the day, finishing with a time of 31:06.4, registering a great finish for the Falcons.
 
What's Up Next

The Falcons will compete next after the break on October 28th at the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Cross Country Championships, hosted by Misericordia University at Letterkenney Fields. The Falcons hope to navigate the challenging and hilly course competitively against a strong slate of schools in the conference, perhaps with the goal of matching or improving upon their fifth-place team finish in last year's edition of the Conference Championships. The Falcons have had a very successful regular season and will enter the MAC Championships with a strong squad that aims to be very competitive in two weeks' time.