BOSTON – With a Rams' rookie heavy roster, the Suffolk women's cross country team opened the 2021 campaign with a fifth-place finish at its own short Course Classic Friday afternoon.
Six of Suffolk's top seven runners were underclassmen, all of who made their cross country collegiate debuts, including four true freshman. The Rams held their own in a nine-team field that featured opponents from every NCAA Division.
Sydney Fogg and Gwen Koziara finished one after the other to pace the blue-and-gold on the course. The sophomore took 20th with a time of 12:19 and the freshman finished two seconds later for 21st. Katelynn Brunt was not far behind in 23rd as she crossed the finish line in 12:28.
Less than a minute later Skyler Spanbauer clocked a 13:25, good for 40th.
Therese McKeagney (13:33), Christina Baggitt (13:44) and Sarah Roberts (13:50) each finished within the top 50 of the 84-competitors on the course to round out Suffolk's scorers.
Suffolk's squad combined for 127 points to take fifth overall, but was the second-best NCAA Division III program time behind Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) foe University of New England, who finished third overall with 104 points.
Brown and Harvard took first and second, respectively, and Bentley wrapped up fourth.
The Rams return to action Saturday, Sept. 18 at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational.
