September 12, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Carole Grills
(413) 585-2703

Wellesley and Coast Guard Men Win Smith Cross Country Invitational; Smith's Cressotti Finishes First in Women's Race

Northampton, MA: Both Wellesley and Coast Guard placed five runners in the top twelve to win the women's and men's races today on Smith's 5k course. Smith senior Anna Cressotti (Southampton, MA) and Springfield College sophomore David Birdsall (Madison, CT)were the individual race winners.

Cressotti crossed the finish line in 19:43.98 while Birdsall ran the same distance in 16:57.89.  Sophomore Kristin Peck (Glenmont, NY) finished 9th overall in 20:50.05 for Smith followed by classmate Emma Yourd (Pittsburgh, PA) 11th (20:59.71), first year Shannon MacKenzie (Hopkinton, NH) 15th (21:35.54) and first year Rachel Lemire (Portland, OR) 24th (22:03.16) to give the Pioneers a third place overall finish.

Wellesley won the women's race with 38 points followed by Coast Guard (59), Smith (60), Westfield State (64), Mount Holyoke (140), Clark (181), Norwich (221), MCLA (231), Saint Joseph (278) and New England College (286).

In the men's race, Coast Guard scored 31 points followed by Springfield (33), Westfield State (115), Western New England (122), Norwich (148), Clark (151), SUNY Institute of Technology (198), New England College (229) and MCLA with 233.

The Pioneers will race again at the Williams College Plansky Invitational on Saturday, September 26.