Athena Cross Country Earns Runner-Up Finish at Mark Covert Classic

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's cross country program served notice that the long layoff won't produce a drop in success, as the Athenas opened the 2021 season with a second-place finish at the Mark Covert Classic, held at Carbon Canyon Regional Park.

CMS earned second place with 56 points, behind only the hosts from Cal State Fullerton, which had 36. The Athenas also came in well ahead of the seven-runner contingent from USC in third place, which was followed by Sacramento State in fourth place and The Master's College in fifth

The Athenas had four runners in the top 10, led by a fifth-place finish from senior Emily Clarke, who clocked a time of 18:19.9 over the 5K race, just edging out teammate Natalie Bitetti by a tenth of a second in 18:20.0. Junior Meredith Bloss came in ninth place for CMS in 18:33.0, followed by 2019 All-American Riley Harmon in tenth place in 18:36.6

First-year Angela Gushue was the fifth scorer for CMS in 29th place in a time of 19:11.7, while sophomore Laura Zimmer was 33rd in her first collegiate race in 19:18.0 and senior Sophie Gitlin was in 36th in 19:20.5. 

CMS, which won 10 straight SCIAC titles in the decade of the 2010s, will next be in action when it travels to the UC Riverside Invitational in two weeks, looking to build off its strong opening day.