Sept. 8, 2007

Complete Results

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. - Franklin & Marshall's cross country teams opened their season with both the men and women picking up a win at the Ursinus Invitational on Saturday. The women's team took first place in a six team field, while the men claimed first amongst eight competing teams.

The women had seven runners finish in the top 20 of the 63-runner field. Six finished in the top 14. Emily Wilson finished in third place with a time of 20:54.59, a shade over 29 seconds off of the winning mark run by Caitlin Dorgan from Delaware Valley (20:25.38).

Emily Kornfeld (21:48.38), Colette Buchanan (21:54.17), and Jenna Bush (21:59.75) swept ninth through 11th place. Nicole DiBenedetto (22:32.09) and Kelly Farrelly (22:33.53) took 13th and 14th. Maggie Selzer finished in 20th place with a time of 22:55.87.

The men's team was tied with Frostburg in the team standings at the end of the race. The deadlock was broken by the team's sixth place runners. Ryan Birnbaum finished 22nd overall delivering F&M the win.

Two of the Diplomats top-three runners on the men's side were freshmen. Erik Olsen and Ryan Bell took seventh and ninth place, respectively, finishing on either side of senior Harrison Miller. Olsen completed the eight-kilometer circuit in 29:19.08, less than two minutes off of the pace established by race-winner, Brian Leiter of Frostburg State (27:45.78). There were 65 runners in the men's field.

Olsen was followed across the line by Miller 14 seconds later. Bell finished five seconds behind Miller. Josh Laster and Christopher Desilets each finished in the top 20. Laster crossed at 30:23.57 for 15th place, while Desilets took 20th in 30:51.98.

"We really looked at this race to see where we were as a team," said head coach Keith Dieterle. "The results speak for themselves."