Natalie Bitetti ran a 20:38.8 to come in 12th
Natalie Bitetti ran a 20:38.8 to come in 12th

Bitetti Helps Women's Cross Country Finish 12th at UC Riverside Invitational

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Junior Natalie Bitetti came in 12th place out of 265 runners, many of whom were from Division I, to help the CMS women's cross country team finish 12th out of 31 teams at the UC Riverside Invitational on Saturday.

Arizona was the team champion, followed by Cal Poly and Southern Utah. Biola came in 10th to lead all non-Division I teams, while CMS was close behind in 12th, ahead of DI teams UC San Diego (13th), San Diego State (14th) and Cal State Fullerton (16th). 

Bitetti ran a 20:38.8 to place 12th in a crowded field, with all of the runners in front of her representing Division I schools. The second-highest non-Division I finisher was Hannah Fredericks of The Master's University in 20th.

The second-highest Division III finisher was Meredith Bloss, who came in 35th place overall with a time of 21:05.7. Anika Kimme was the third Athena to cross in 21:32.9, placing 66th overall and moving into 13th all-time at CMS in a 6K race. Laura Zimmer was 103rd in 22:01.9 and Elle Marsyla was the fifth CMS scorer in 22:06.9, placing 114th at the meet and 29th at CMS all-time. Angie Gushue (112th, 22:09.7) and Riley Capuano (135th, 22:17.0) were also in the top 150, with Capuano moving into 36th at CMS. 

In the open division, a 5K race, Carson McVay was the top finisher for the Athenas in 32nd place with a time of 18:49.3. Hannah Weaver (56th, 19:07.1), Emily Kendrick (65th, 19:16.3), Megan Maley (71st, 19:21.8), Lily Ryan (83rd, 19:28.2) and Kaya Hano (100th, 19:44.9) also earned top-100 finishes out of the 254-runner field. 

CMS will be back in action next week when it travels to the Cougar Challenge at CSU San Marcos.