UAlbany XC Women 23rd At Paul Short

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The University at Albany women’s cross country team placed 23rd out of 48 teams at the Paul Shot Invitation over the weekend. Competing in the 6K Gold race, designated for the highest quality squads, UAlbany faced a field that included eight other Northeast regionally ranked teams, as well as 21 regionally ranked teams from around the country. Of these 29 regionally ranked opponents, five hold spots in the national rankings.

Junior Silvia Del Fava paced the Danes this week, earning a 10th place overall finish with a time of 20:40, which is the fastest 6K on the women’s team this season and improves her own season best by over two minutes. Del Fava’s time represents the second fastest 6K in UAlbany history, behind teammate Brittney Lane’s 20:24 at last year’s Northeast Regional Championship. Lane, after two races as the top finisher for UAlbany, placed 66th overall with a time of 21:32, which also improved her season best.
 

Following Lane was senior Kathryn Fanning in 21:48 for 95th place, junior Molly Pezzulo in 23:22 for 275th place, and freshman Schuyler Pruyn in 23:28 for 282th place. Rounding out UAlbany’s top seven were Johanna Smith in 23:53 for 300th place, and senior Brianne Bellon in 24:11 for 306th place. Also competing for UAlbany was freshman Katayzyna Geiger, who finished in 405th place with a time of 26:23. In total, seven of the eight UAlbany athletes who competed set seasonal bests in the race.

UAlbany scored 728 points in its 23rd place finish. The Danes placed eighth out of nine Northeast ranked teams. Georgetown took the team title with 112 points, and Dartmouth’s Abbey D’Agostino took the individual title for the second consecutive year with a time of 19:44. A total of 406 athletes competed in the race.

The women have next weekend off before they will presumably split up on October 19, sending a squad to Indiana for the Pre-National Invitational, and keeping one home for the UAlbany XC Invitational.