CMS Women's Cross Country Moves Up to Fourth in Division III National Rankings

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's cross country team surged up the national rankings this week from No. 9 to No. 4, after a strong showing at the UC Riverside Invitational over the weekend.

Johns Hopkins leads the latest poll with 350 points, including all 10 first place votes, while Wartburg is second and Chicago is third. The Athenas moved just ahead of WashU in fifth with 312 points, which was followed by MIT, Dickinson, Williams, Amherst and Bates in the 6-10 spots. 

CMS was ranked No. 10 in preseason, but has surged up after a pair of runner-up finishes at events with a multitude of Division I programs. The Athenas began the year with a second-place finish at the Mark Covert Invitational, behind only host CSU Fullerton, and then came in second at the UC Riverside Invitational, behind only California Baptist. 

Meredith Bloss set a program record for fastest time over a 6K race at UC Riverside with a 20:31.0, breaking the old mark by just over three seconds. She became the second Athena to earn the SCIAC Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week Award, after Emily Clarke captured it following a team high finish at the Mark Covert Classic. 

CMS will compete this weekend at the Cougar Challenge, hosted by CSU San Marcos, although the runners who will attend the Pre-Nationals in Kentucky in two weeks will be held out from that event. 

To view the full Division III rankings, head to the following link:

USTFCCCA Division III Rankings