CMS Women's Cross Country Finishes Close Second at The Master's Invitational

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's cross country team, ranked No. 6 in the nation, nearly made it two straight team championships in as many weeks but came in second place by just three points at The Master's Invitational on Saturday morning at Santa Clarita's Central Park.

CMS had five of the top 20 runners in the race, but finished with 76 points, leaving it just three behind Pomona-Pitzer for first place. Division I teams from UC Irvine and UCLA came in third and fourth place, respectively. 

Sophomore Riley Harmon was the top performer for CMS with a seventh-place finish, crossing the line in 18:06.3 to earn her way into the top 10. The Athenas then had six runners all finish between 15th and 23rd over a span of 7.5 seconds to place in the top 25. 

Sophomore Sophie Gitlin came in second place for CMS and 15th overall with a time of 18:30.2, followed just 1.6 seconds later by junior Abigail Johnson in 16th place (18:31.8). Junior Dulcie Jones was 18th as the fourth Athena to cross the line in 18:33.5 and sophomore Brooklyn Button was the final scorer for CMS with a time of 18:36.3 to come in 20th. 

Right behind the top five were first-year Isabella Brusco in 18:37.2, who edged out junior Olivia Gleason in 18:37.8 in 22nd and 23rd place, respectively. Senior Georgia Scherer was also in the top 50, earning a 32nd place finish in 18:48.2. 

The Athenas also had a strong pack of runners in the top 100 out of a field of just over 300 competitors. First-year Anika Kimme came in 53rd and senior Alexandra Lambros was 68th to place in the top 75. Junior Jackie McVay (80th), junior Samantha Baker (84th), and sophomore Emily Clarke (88th) were also top 10 finishers, with senior Gabriella Kimmerly just missing that cutoff with a 101st place finish. 

CMS will now have a week off before returning to action on Saturday, Oct. 12 to participate in the Triton Invitational, hosted by UC San Diego.