ATTLEBORO, Mass. - The Norwich University women's cross country team opened the 2026 season on Saturday morning at the Suffolk University Short Course Classic, placing 13th overall in an 18-team scoring field at the Mark Coogan Cross Country Course at Highland Park.
Racing over three kilometers in the opening meet of the fall, Norwich totaled 336 points behind a five-runner team time of 1:07:15. The Cadets averaged 13:27 across their scoring group, with several runners tightly packed through the middle of the lineup.
FreshmanÂ
Ava Dillon (Erie, Colo.) made an immediate impact in her collegiate debut, pacing Norwich with a 24th-place finish in 12:15.7. Her performance earned 23 scoring points and placed her well inside the top quarter of a field that featured more than 200 competitors.
Sophomore
Ally Teitsch (Malta, N.Y.) followed as Norwich's second finisher, placing 73rd overall in 13:11.2. Junior
Delaney Whitmarsh (North Yarmouth, Maine), a two-time GNAC All-Conference performer, came through eight spots later in 13:21.2, while freshman
Anna Barlow (Kingston, N.H.) finished close behind in 85th with a 13:24.8 clocking.
That trio provided Norwich with one of its most encouraging stretches of the morning, as Teitsch, Whitmarsh, and Barlow finished within just 13.6 seconds of one another.
FreshmanÂ
Isabella Rafter (Glastonbury, Conn.) completed the Cadets' scoring five, taking 155th overall in 15:01.9, while senior
Joelle Moore (Swanton, Ohio) rounded out the Norwich lineup in 176th with a time of 16:04.6.
"The team had very good efforts for the season opener to shake off the racing rust from last season and to gauge their fitness early in the season," said Head Coach
Michael McGrane. "We had a couple of notable top performances by first-year rook
Ava Dillon and junior Leo Circosta, which is exciting to see, and very good pack running potential for our varsity runners. I'm looking forward to the next meet in two weeks when we move up in the distance."
New Hampshire claimed the team championship with 36 points, placing five scorers among the top 12 overall finishers. JWU (Providence) took second with 62 points, while host Suffolk University rounded out the top three with 139. JWU (Providence) junior Amanda Intrieri won the individual title in 10:43.2.
WOMEN'S LEADERS:
The Cadets will return to the course in two weeks for their second meet of the season, shifting to a longer race distance as the fall schedule continues at the Hoffman Invitational, hosted by St. Lawrence University on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 11:00 a.m.
