Women win at piper alumni open with freshmen and sophomores

The Shippensburg University women’s cross country team placed six runners in the Top 20 Friday night at the 2014 Galen Piper Open/Cross Country Challenge, with freshmen and sophomores comprising the team’s five scorers as it posted a narrow victory over Don Nichter’s Dickinson squad for the team title. Shippensburg won the women’s team title for the sixth time in seven years by posting 47 points. Dickinson, ranked No. 12 in NCAA Division III, totaled 54 points. Elizabethtown, the 2013 women’s team champion, finished fourth with 86 points.

The SU Alumni took third place with 75 points. The incomparable Mary Dell ’10 claimed the individual title for the second time in three years, running 4K in 14:30 for a 13-second victory. Lara Crofford finished in second place, while Emily Dubs ’11 finished sixth in 15:02.

Sophomore Casey Norton (Troy/ Troy) paced the Raiders with a fourth-place time of 14:49, marking a 17-second improvement from her sixth-place finish last year. Her time is a three-second cross country PR at 4K.

Fellow sophomore Erika Huffman (Sugar Run/Wyalusing) made the statement of the night, running fifth place overall in 15:00. Huffman improved 41 seconds off her 4K cross country personal best of her freshman season to serve as SU’s No. 2 runner.

Three freshmen rounded out the Raider scorers. Lizzie Manickas (New Castle/ Neshannock) jumped right into the mix by placing eighth overall, running 15:09. Emily Kachik (Sykesville, Md./Cen- tury) dropped a 14th-place run of 15:31, while Bryanna Dissinger (Dallas/Dallas) was two seconds and two places behind to round out the SU Top 5.

Junior Jessica Collins (Apollo/ Kiski Area) matched her finish of a year ago despite running four seconds faster, claiming 20th place in 15:43. Sophomore Natalie Eastwood (Westminster, Md./Westminster) took 23rd place in 15:51and redshirt- freshman Sarah Latch (Doylestown/Central Bucks East) also broke the 16-minute mark, finishing 27th in15:59. Shippensburg returns to action Saturday, September 20 when it travels to Big Spring High School for the Dickinson Long/Short Invitational.