Belles Claim Eighth at Calvin Invitational to Open Season

Results

• Kaitlyn Alessi and Anna McClowry both had personal record 5k runs while scoring for the Belles.
• Sarah Allen added a personal record of her own.
• The Belles finished eighth at the event.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Kaitlyn Alessi and Anna McClowry each posted a personal record 5k time while finishing in the Belles' top five to help the Saint Mary's cross country team to an eighth place finish at the Calvin Invitational on Saturday.

Host Calvin won the event with a team score of 32. Cleary was second with a 108, Madonna was third with a 121, and Indiana Tech took fourth with a 124. Saint Mary's had a team score of 183 and was 12 points behind seventh place Cornerstone.

Brittany Beeler continued to lead the way for the Belles as the senior posted a 19:03.6 to finish 13th overall and 12th among scoring runners. Reilly Pieri had a 20:07.6 to take 45th overall and 35th in the scoring column. Kaitlyn Alessi improved upon last year's 5k personal record time by seven seconds with a 20:13.5 while crossing the finish line 53rd overall and 42nd among scoring harriers.

Aubrey Penn had a time of 20:22.1 for a 59th place finish overall while scoring 45 points. Anna McClowry shaved more than 30 seconds off of her 5k personal record time from a season ago with a 20:32.9 for 65th overall and 49th among scoring runners to round out the team's score.

Caitlin Blum was not far behind with a 20:49.4 for 73rd place overall. Mary Philbin turned in a time of 21:13.7 for 87th place. Adele Edmonds and Katie Glenn finished back-to-back with results of 21:22.9 (94th) and 21:30.0 (95th), respectively. Maura Honan had a time of 21:32.6 in her first race for the Belles to claim 100th.

Another pack of Belles was not far behind. Jennifer Kreighbaum had a 21:46.5 to finish 108th. Maggie Pacana ran a 21:50.7 for 111th to edge out Kathryn Marshall's time of 21:50.8. Just behind the pair was Fiona Winfrey, whose 21:51.9 gave her 113th. Colleen Ogren and Sarah Allen were just a few meters behind as Ogren ran a 21:59.5 for 115th and Allen was 117th with a seven-second improvement on last year's 5k PR with a 22:04.6. Mary Favo rounded out the Saint Mary's performances with a 22:27.1 for 128th.

The Belles host their annual Alumnae Race next Saturday, September 10 before returning to big competition with the MIAA Jamboree in three weeks' time.