DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Connecticut College men's and women's cross country teams competed at the 50th UMass Dartmouth Cross Country Invitational on Sunday at the Coach Robert Dowd XC Course.

The event, originally slated for Saturday but delayed due to weather concerns, took place under sunny skies and ideal running conditions. The Camels finished third in the women's 5K race and 17th in the men's 8K race.

Women's Race

After a strong start to the season last week, the women's squad continued to show the depth on its roster. The team's top-5 runners all posted sub-19:00 times, and the Camels finished just five points behind Division I Stonehill for second place in the team standings. Boston University, another DI program, took home top honors with 26 points.

All nine Conn runners who competed in the varsity race posted lifetime best times for the 5K distance. Leading the Camels was Abigail Fernald (Avon, Conn.), who placed ninth overall in the field of 280 runners. Her time of 18:07.74 was the fastest by any Division III runner in the field, and marked her second straight week in Conn's top-5.

The next wave of Conn runners included Edin Sisson (Sidney, Maine) and Alsacia Timmerman (Morrisville, Vt.), who finished less than a second apart. Sisson crossed the line in 13th overall at 18:26.73 while Timmerman placed 15th in 18:27.43.

Rounding out the scoring for the Camels were Abigail Williams (Waterville, Maine) and Kiera Tallas (Fountain Valley, Calif.). Williams finished 22nd overall and posted a time of 18:38.12. Tallas, who moved into Conn's top-5 for the first time this season, placed 40th in a time of 18:57.87. 

Conn's Top 7
Abigail Fernald (9th, 18:07.74)
Edin Sisson (13th, 18:26.73)
Alsacia Timmerman (15th, 18:27.43)
Abigail Williams (22nd, 18:38.12)
Kiera Tallas (40th, 18:57.87)
Grace McDonough (43rd, 19:00.28)
Alexa Estes (57th, 19:20.68)

Men's Race

Competing in a field of 39 teams from all NCAA levels, the Camels trailed only four Division III programs with 513 points. Boston University secured the top spot with 42 points, while Plymouth State was the top DIII finisher with 292.

Anthony Belford (Bay Shore, N.Y.) crossed the finish line first for the Camels, securing 95th place in the field of 303 runners with a time of 26:58.05. Ronan Staab (White Plains, N.Y.) was close behind and finished 101st in 27:06.52.

Robert DiNatale (Cheshire, Conn.) and Sam Walker (Newburyport, Mass.) were the next Conn finishers, placing 111th (27:14.02) and 113th (27:17.96), respectively. Blake Rogers (Riverside, R.I.) rounded out the scoring by finishing 134th in a time of 27:37.93. 

The Camels will next compete at the Paul Short Invitational on Saturday, September 30 at Lehigh University.

Conn's Top 7
Anthony Belford (95th, 26:58.05)
Ronan Staab (101st, 27:06.52)
Robert DiNatale (111th, 27:14.02)
Sam Walker (113th, 27:17.96)
Blake Rogers (134th, 27:37.93)
Robbie Lynch (144th, 27:55.07)
Zach Stoddard (153rd, 28:04.41)