NEWVILLE, Pa. – In its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Women's Cross Country Championship, Connecticut College battled a tough course to finish 28th in the field of 32 teams on Saturday afternoon at Big Spring High School. 

In one of the closest team finishes in the event's history, Carleton College secured the national championship with 151 points. A total of seven points separated the top four schools, with NYU (154), Chicago (156) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (158) rounding out the podium spots.

St. Benedict's Fiona Smith, who earlier this season won the Conn College Invitational, took home individual medalist honors. She broke the NCAA record with a time of 19:54.1 and finished more than a minute ahead of her closest competitor.

The Camels overcame a tough start and moved up two places after the mile mark. The spread for Conn's top-five runners was just 24.6 seconds over the 6k course, and the squad finished with 643 points.

Alsacia Timmerman (Morrisville, Vt.) paced the Camels with a strong effort throughout. She was in 239th place at the one-mile marker but made up 50 places over the next mile. She then passed 48 more runners before crossing the finish line in 141st place with a time of 22:48.4. 

Edin Sisson (Sidney, Maine) and Lauren Hino (Berwyn, Pa.)—Conn's only upperclassmen in the race—were the next to cross the finish. Sisson made up 10 places over the final 1,000 meters and finished 160th overall in a time of 22:53.7. Hino, running in her second straight NCAA Championship, clocked in at 22:57.1 and finished 171st.

Abigail Fernald (Avon, Conn.) and Abigail Williams (Waterville, Maine) rounded out the scoring for the Camels. Fernald made a push over the final 1,000 meters and picked up 12 places, finishing 213th overall in 23:12.4. Williams was right on her teammate's tail, placing 214th overall in 23:13.0.

Grace McDonough (Londonderry, N.H.) and Alexa Estes (Virginia Beach, Va.) crossed the finish in 222nd and 276th place, respectively.