From University of Rochester Athletics

In a contest that featured many of the nation's top squads, the Rochester women's cross-country team more than held their own at the Yellowjacket Invitational, finishing fourth of 22 teams with a total of 151 points. No. 21 Oneonta State (69), No. 7 Geneseo State (76), and Rochester Institute of Technology (125) placed ahead of the home team in a competition completed at Genesee Valley Park on Saturday. The home team bested No. 23 Ithaca College (187), which defeated Rochester just two weeks previously.
           
The UR women were led by junior Katie Knox, who covered the six-kilometer course in 23:27 to finish fourth among 293 competitors. Junior Anya Joynt (23:48, 10th), freshman Brianna Loughran (24:32, 33rd), senior Jen Klemenz (24:48, 45th) and sophomore Audrey McCarthy (25:16, 59th) rounded out Rochester's top five. Sophomore Jamie Wallisch (25:20, 61st) and senior Katie Woodworth (26:01, 83rd) were the displacers.
           
Knox attributed much of the team's success to the support of her fellow cross-country teammates, the greater UR track and field program and the Rochester community.
           
"It was really fun to have everyone come out to support the distance runners," said Knox. "It was a great team atmosphere, and the results bode well for the rest of the season."
           
Knox was among the early leaders in the race, holding her position throughout the race and besting some of the region's top competitors. Her performance also comes on the heels of a tremendous second-place performance at the SUNY Oswego Invitational two weeks ago, after which she was named the University Athletic Association Athlete of the Week.
           
The UR alumni were also well represented, with Lauren Norton '12 finishing among the top individuals overall (23:01).
           
Head coach Barbara Hartwig believed that despite the solid effort, her team has a fair amount of work to do before the conference and regional championships in October and November.
           
"Our team had a training cycle of two hard weeks [leading up to the Yellowjacket Invite]," said Hartwig. "So considering that and what we accomplished today, we're hoping for lots of further improvements."
           
Hartwig further commented that in contrast to the Oswego Invite, in which the team went out too fast, her team went through the five-kilometer mark at a more even pace, and ultimately ran a smarter race.
         
"I'm confident that the times and places will drop as the season progresses," said Hartwig.