October 1, 2022

The Basics

• The lead: Junior Rachel Pinho was the top finisher for the third straight event to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology women's cross country team Saturday at the Purple Valley Classic, hosted by Williams College.
• Location: Mount Greylock High School - Williamstown, Mass.
• Short Story: Using a 6:49.2 mile pace, Pinho completed the six-kilometer course in a time of 25:25.9 to lead Stevens' five-runner contingent, finishing 44th out of 145 runners. As a team, the Ducks finished 10th out of the 11 scoring teams with 276 points. Amherst's Mary Kate McGranahan won the individual title, using a 5:59.2 mile pace to finish the course in 22:19.4. Amherst had three of the top-10 finishers and won the team title with a team score of 38, using an average time of 23:20 to complete the course.
• Of note: The race was the first six-kilometer race of the season.
• Also of note: This was the Ducks' first appearance at the Purple Valley Classic since 2015.

Top Finishers

• For the second straight event, Stevens' runners were spread by 2:12.4. 
• The Ducks averaged 26:51 to complete the course, which was seven seconds faster than the team that finished directly ahead of them in the standings. 
• Junior Fionna Feerick was the Ducks' second finisher, completing the course in 26:38. The Pembroke, Massachusetts native used a 7:08.6 mile pace to finish 72nd.
• In her first collegiate 6K, first-year Taylor Enes was the team's third finisher, completing the course in 27:07.
• Graduate student Caroline Corr (27:28.6) and sophomore Samantha Rozek (27:38.3) rounded out the Ducks' contingent.

From the Course - Head Coach John Kolibab

• "We were very excited to get out and compete against some top teams this weekend. The course where Williams has their meets is a much more challenging course than we're used to. The goal this weekend wasn't about running a specific time, but, going out and competing. Overall we accomplished our goal, and I'm proud of how both teams performed."
• "This was the first six-kilometer race of the season for our women's squad and when your first 6k is at a course as tough as today's, some growing pains can be expected. While the times weren't close to where they'll be over the rest of the season, I'm happy with how our women attacked the course today. You can expect big improvement from them over the next couple of meets, and I'm excited to see how they perform on some more runner-friendly courses."

Up Next

• Women's cross country returns to the course on Oct. 8 for the DeSales University Invitational. The event will serve as a course preview race for November's Metro Region Championship.

Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics         
Twitter: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks
#AllRise