The third-ranked Washington University’s women’s cross country team finished atop a field of eight schools at the University Athletic Association Championships on Saturday morning at Franklin Park in Waltham, Mass. The women scored 31 points in the victory, while the men’s squad finished sixth with its score of 131 points, just 10 points out of third place.

The Lady Bears took home the UAA title for the ninth time in school history. It was their fifth win in the last six seasons; the team was upset last year, finishing second.

Senior Tricia Frisella led the Lady Bears with her second-place finish, posting a time of 22:29. Classmates Tyler Mulkin and Kate Pentak soon followed, finishing in 22:37 and 22:38, which were good for third and fourth respectively. The trio garnered first-team All-UAA honors for their stellar performances.

Freshman Taryn Surtees collected second-team All-UAA recognition and was named the league’s Rookie of the Year for her eighth-place finish and time of 23:03. Senior Lisa Sudmeier, who also received second-team honors, placed 14th overall with a time of 23:26 to round out the top five for the Bears.

“In all, we are very happy with our performance,” said Mulkin. “This meet really showed our depth.”

The women’s coaches, head coach Jeff Stiles and assistant coaches Paul Thornton, Ryan Chapman, John Aerni and Peter Quigg, were named the conference’s Coaching Staff of the Year.

The women’s total of 31 points edged second-place Case Western Reserve University’s 44 points and third-place Emory University’s 58 points. Case Western Reserve and Emory each had two runners earn first-team All-UAA honors.

The WU men’s team was led by senior Jesse McDaniel’s 14th-place finish, as he posted a time of 25:55. McDaniel was named to the All-UAA second team. Sophomore Alden Black and freshman Zach Bahor finished 27th and 28th overall, with times of 26:16 and 26:18, respectively, to round out the Bears’ top three finishes. Senior Jeff Bayers and freshman Skyler Moots also scored for the Bears with times of 26:19 and 22:22, good enough for 30th and 32nd places.

New York University won the men’s competition for the second consecutive year with 20 points, while Carnegie Mellon finished second with 68 points. Only 10 points separated the third and sixth-place squads. Case Western Reserve took third with 121 points, while Emory and Brandeis, the meet’s host, finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

The teams next head to Oshkosh, Wis. in two weeks to compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships. However, the women’s team’s sights are set on Northfield, Minn., the site of NCAA Championships on Nov. 17.

“We’re not cutting back our training right now like other teams are doing for Regionals,” said Mulkin. “Our goal is to do as best we can at NCAA Championships.”

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