NEW LONDON, N.H. - Freshman Ava Dillon (Erie, Colo.) turned in the top rookie performance in the field to lead the Norwich University women's cross country team to a fourth-place finish at the Colby-Sawyer Maslan Cross Country Invitational & GNAC Preview on Sunday morning.
Returning to the six-kilometer distance for the second consecutive meet, Norwich totaled 93 points in the eight-team scoring field, finishing just one point behind host Colby-Sawyer College for third. Emmanuel College (Mass.) claimed the team title with 35 points, narrowly edging Saint Joseph's College of Maine's 39. The Chargers followed with 92 before Norwich, while Regis College, Elms College, Lasell University, and Dean College rounded out the standings.
The meet carried added significance as an early look at the Morris Trail course that will host the 2026 GNAC Championships on Sunday, Nov. 1.
Dillon once again led the maroon and gold, finishing fourth overall in 25:49.7 while crossing as the first freshman in the 53-runner field. The rookie was third overall at the opening 2.8-kilometer checkpoint in 11:13.7 and remained among the race's leading group throughout, reaching 4.9 kilometers in 20:35.1 before securing her second straight top-20 finish and first collegiate top-five result.
Sophomore Ally Teitsch (Malta, N.Y.) returned to Norwich's scoring lineup with a strong 12th-place showing, completing the course in 26:58.3. Teitsch passed 2.8 kilometers in 11:45.0 before reaching the 4.9-kilometer mark in 21:31.0.
Freshman Anna Barlow (Kingston, N.H.) supplied Norwich's third scorer, taking 15th overall in 27:39.8. Barlow sat 12th through the opening checkpoint before completing the 6K among the top 15.
Freshman Isabella Rafter (Glastonbury, Conn.) continued Norwich's strong rookie showing, crossing 22nd overall in 28:46.6. Rafter reached 2.8 kilometers in 12:37.1 before moving up one position over the closing portion of the race.
Senior Joelle Moore (Swanton, Ohio) completed Norwich's scoring five in 35:17.5, giving the Cadets the five finishers necessary to register a team score.
Dillon's fourth-place finish stood out in a field that featured runners from eight scoring GNAC programs. Colby-Sawyer sophomore Jacklyn Anderson claimed the individual championship in 24:37.6, followed by a pair of Emmanuel seniors before Dillon crossed as the first first-year competitor.
Norwich's 93-point total left the Cadets only one point behind Colby-Sawyer's 92 for third and 54 points behind runner-up Saint Joseph's, providing another benchmark ahead of the conference championship on the same course four weeks from now.
WOMEN'S LEADERS:
Norwich will have a short turnaround before returning to the course on Friday, Oct. 9, at the Hopkinton Cross Country Festival, hosted by fellow GNAC member New England College. The women's race is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
The Cadets will make their return to New London later this fall when Colby-Sawyer hosts the GNAC Championships at the Morris Trail on Sunday, Nov. 1.
