DALLAS, Pa. – Lauren Bunke topped a field of 113 runners on Friday evening as she crossed the line first for the Lebanon Valley women's cross country team at the season-opening Misericordia Invitational with a 4,000-meter time of 15:12.3.
The Dutchmen finished third out of eight scoring teams as they caught a glimpse of the course that will host the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships next month. "The warm weather and soggy course conditions perhaps made this feel a little harder of an effort than we were expecting for only a 4K race," head coach James O'Brien stated about the race. "Our ladies have a few puzzle pieces we need to continue to develop but have so much potential. Bunke won her first collegiate cross country race while Coyla and Autumn were really solid in the top 10 as well. I see a lot of good things happening behind them that we will continue to develop."
Host Misericordia won with a score of 27 putting four in the top seven overall. Susquehanna University was second with a score of 60 while LVC scored 63 points. University of Scranton was fourth with 75 points while fellow MAC opponent, DeSales University, rounded out the top five with 155 points.
Bunke averaged 6:07 per mile and won by three seconds.
Coyla Bartholomew was the second LVC finisher with a time of 15:55.7 to cross the line in sixth.
Autumn Garges was 10th in 16:15.4.
Aleah Hoffman was the fourth Dutchman to cross the line in 17:03.6 while first-year
Izzy Zwally was fifth on the team with a time of 17:11.1. The Dutchmen had nine runners break 18 minutes and all nine finished in the top 40.
LVC Finishers
Up Next
LVC will host the 50th annual Dutchmen Invitational next Saturday at Union Canal Tunnel Park in Lebanon.
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