Runnin' Monks invitational cross country meet at Saint Joseph's - By Phil Baker

The beautiful Saint Joseph’s College campus was the site of the 2016 edition of the Runnin’ Monks Invitational Cross Country Meet on Saturday, October 8th. Windham was well represented in the race and among the crowd. Three alumni of coach Jeff Riddle’s muscular Windham High School Cross Country program, Gwen Baker, Analyse Harris and McKenzie Pepin competed in the field of 55 runners.

University of Maine- Farmington was led by Hannah Emery with a third place finish and Alicia Labbe finishing seventh. Gwen Baker, now in her sophomore year, bested last year’s same-event time by 11 seconds and placed tenth. Molly Jack and Anna Dowling rounded out the scoring for UMF.

SJC freshman Analyse Harris scored fifth for the Runnin’ Monks, crossing the finish line at 23^rd place. Fellow SJC freshman, McKenzie Pepin, finished a respectable 28^th in a deep and talented field. The two freshmen helped Saint Joseph’s to a third place finish with 77 points. St Joseph’s sophomore Sarah Curtin won the race in 21:16.3 seconds on a difficult course that will produce few personal bests. 

Emerson College, with five runners in the top twelve, won the event, scoring 33 points. University of Maine- Farmington notched a close second place finish at 50 points. Johnson State (105 points), Mount Ida (153), Wheelock (162), and UMaine-Presque Isle (172) also competed in the 5K race.