BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. - Emerson placed its five scorers in the top 14 to post a team total of 54 points and take top honors at the 2012 Massachusetts Maritime Lt. Travis J. Fuller Women’s Cross Country Invitational Saturday morning along the banks of the Cape Cod Canal.
 
Senior Heather Hoglund (Groton, Mass.) paced the victorious Lions by placing fifth individually with a time of 20:57 over the three mile layout, while sophomore Ali Doukas (Littleton, Mass.) added a 10th place time of 21:27.  The freshman trio of Jenna Castro, Lauren Gallagher and Tara Butler came across the line in 12th, 13th and 14th places, respectively, with times of 22:13, 22:16 and 22:18 to give Emerson a 17-point victory over runner-up Framingham State, which collected 71 points, and third place Curry, which posted a team score of 89 points.
 
Junior Elena Cox (Rowley, Mass.) led Framingham State with an individual runner-up finish time of 20:27, while sophomore Janet Brady (Whitman, Mass.) and freshman Emma Hazen (Framingham, Mass.) placed eighth and ninth, respectively, for the Rams with times of 21:07 and 21:10.  Freshman Megan Erickson (Westbrook, Conn.) recorded a third place individual finish for Curry in her collegiate debut with a time of 20:46, while fellow freshman Leigha Sweeney (Braintree, Mass.) placed sixth with a time of 21:04 for the Colonels.
 
SUNY-Maritime junior Jackie Bellisari (Albertson, N.Y.) took top individual honors in the competition with a time of 20:20, while Rivier freshman Christina Dick (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Eastern Nazarene junior Ami Curtis (East Montpelier, Vt.) rounded out the top 10 by placing fourth and seventh, respectively, with times of 20:55 and 21:06.
 
SUNY-Maritime placed fourth in the final team standings with a score of 98 points, while Eastern Nazarene (132) and host Massachusetts Maritime (139) followed in fifth and sixth place.  Rivier (142) and Mount Ida (161) rounded out the team scoring in seventh and eighth place, while both Newbury and Suffolk did not register team scores on the day.
 
Junior Liz Leonardi (Sandwich, Mass.) was the top individual runner for the host Buccaneers, as she placed 17th with a time of 23:05, while junior Jenelle Piche (Coventry, R.I.) and freshman Siobhan O’Malley (Marshfield, Mass.) followed in 22nd and 30th place, respectively, with times of 23:59 and 24:50.  Seniors Sophie Enman (Marblehead, Mass.) and Corinne Prado (Raynham, Mass.) rounded out Massachusetts Maritime’s scoring by finishing 39th and 45th, respectively, with times of 26:34 and 27:30.
 
The Colonels were led by freshman Megan Erickson (Westbrook, Conn.), who finished in 3rd place with a time of 20:46. Freshman Leigha Sweeney (Braintree, Mass.) also placed in the top 10 in 6th place with a finish of 21:04. Other Curry finishers were senior Shannon Wallace (Libertyville, Ill.), 23:03 (16th), sophomore Jessica Leary (Pembroke, Mass.), 23:56 (19th), and sophomore Victoria Norton (Pembroke, Mass.), 30:32 (45th).

Curry returns to action on Saturday, September 15 when they travel to Mount Ida for a 9:30 a.m. invitational.  (Race Recap Courtesy of Mass. Martime Sports Information)