HARTFORD, Conn. - Hartford Women's Cross Country opened up their season on Saturday, September 12th hosting their third annual University of Hartford Invitational at Keney Park. The Hawks finished in 4th place out of 10 total teams landing themselves with two top 20 finishes.
Rapid Recap:
- Hartford was led by senior Sophia Rebenciuc (Southwick, Mass.) who secured a personal best by coming in fourteenth overall with a time of 11:45.8 in the 3K.
- Sophomore Leah Valentino (Beacon Falls, Conn.) was up next for the Hawks coming in 20th place with a time of 12:14.8. Senior Amelia King (Scranton, Pa.) followed closely behind ending up in 21st place with a time of 12:17.6. Both Valentino and King notched a new personal best.
- The freshman Grace Mitchell (Haddam, Conn.) ran her first race today for Hartford landing in 24th place with a time of 12:23.9. To round out the top five for the Hawks, junior Ella Stephenson (Ledyard, Conn.) finished in 28th place with a time of 12:31.2.
- University of Connecticut would secure the win with an impressive final score of 16 and six top 10 finishes.
Post-Race Press:
"My first race back felt decent. The team was very close together today and the new freshmen are a great addition to our team. I think we are in great hands with Coach Hackett and Coach Green and we will all improve so much this season and see more All-Conferences at the end of the season," Rebenciuc says.
"As Coach when hosting your own meet, there's obviously a ton of stress that goes into it", said head coach Connor Green. "Lots of planning, last-minute changes, organizational details that are always at the front of our mind, but having a great team like ours truly makes it all worthwhile. Not only did we get a great showing from our track and field program helping run the meet but our cross country athletes absolutely surpassed expectations today. Many showed up in excellent form ready to compete. Others got their first taste of collegiate running and for those that may not have had the day that they wanted, they were lifted up by their teammates in a really positive way. We're very excited for the future of this program and looking forward to seeing what the rest of the season has in store."
Up Next:
The Hawks will travel to Robert Dowd Cross Country Course to compete in the UMass Dartmouth Invitational on September 19th.
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