Women's Cross Country Takes Second at Detroit Mercy Invitational

Saturday, September 8

Northville, Mich.

11:15 a.m.

Bucknell University

Detroit Mercy Invite

Photo by: Marc Hagemeier

Women's Cross Country Takes Second at Detroit Mercy Invitational

9/8/2018 5:35:00 PM | Women's Cross Country

Payton Capes Led the Bison with a Fourth-Place Finish

RESULTS

NORTHVILLE, Mich. – Payton Capes took fourth and three other Bucknell runners posted top-10 finishes to help the shorthanded Bison to a runner-up showing at the Detroit Mercy Invitational on Saturday. The meet, which was started by Bucknell head coach Kevin Donner in 1987 while coach of the Titans' women's cross country team, was held at Cass Benton Park for the 32^nd consecutive year.

Oakland took the team title at the event with a score of 33, while Bucknell was the runner-up with a score of 44. Rounding out the six-team field were Albion (77), Detroit Mercy (87), Macomb Community College (151), and Rochester College (158).

"We are not at full strength yet with arguably three or four of our top seven runners not racing," Donner said. "Our depth is really starting to develop nicely, and although we did not win the meet, I was very pleased with the results."

Capes was Bucknell's top runner for the second straight week, completing the 5k course with a time of 18:12. Albion's Cassie Vince won the race in 17:46, while Oakland's Heather Czarnecki was second in 18:07.

Sophomores Ashley Blair and Madeleine Hunt joined Capes to give the Bison three runners in the top 10. Blair was eighth, while Hunt was right behind her in ninth.

"Payton looked very good, and I was pleased with Hunt and Blair," Donner said. "They are three solid sophomores who have a bright future."

Five Bison runners finished in order right outside of the top 10, starting with freshman Emily Deschler in 11^th. The others were freshman Nora Bennett (12^th), senior Lauren Hazzard (13^th), senior Anna Chiodo-Ortiz (14^th), and freshman Lucie Kubinski (15^th). The meet had a field of 68 runners.

Bucknell will have the next weekend off and now sets its sights on the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown, hosted by Boston College on Friday, Sept. 21.