Five Raven squads compete in women's race, led by the A-team which placed 11th out of 28

Senior Keri Marnane ran a split of 13:26 to help lead Franklin Pierce's A-team to an 11th place showing out of 28 squads at Saturday's Skyhawk Relays.

EASTON, Mass. (September 1, 2012) -- The emphasis on Franklin Pierce University women's cross country was expanded during the offseason, and in its first race since receiving the increased attention, the Ravens turned in a solid showing at Saturday's Skyhawk Relays in Easton, Mass. Franklin Pierce's A-team placed 11th out of 28 teams in a time of 41:14 in the six-mile race hosted by Stonehill College.

The A-team consisted of senior Keri Marnane (Cranston, R.I.) and freshmen Danielle Koch (Coventry, Conn.) and Shannon Lozier (Merrimac, Mass.). Marnane ran a split of 13:26, while Koch followed with a 13:51 mark. Lozier followed with a time of 13:55 in her leg of the race. 

The squad finished ahead of three-consecutive teams from Saint Anselm and a unit from Merrimack. Stonehill's A-Team took home the victory in the race as Caroline McBride, Kristen Veit and Chelsea Bishop produced a time of 36:19.

Franklin Pierce's B-team, comprised of freshmen Sarah Barnard (Hopkinton, N.H.), Ashley Maresca (Brant Lake, N.Y.) and Alyssa Lambert (Manchester, N.H.), placed 19th with a time of 43:36.

The C-squad, which included sophomores Ashley Pietrowski (Ware, Mass.) and Kelsey Devlin (Warwick, R.I.), and freshman Doria Brown (Little Falls, N.H.), placed 23rd in a time of 45:25.Two other Raven teams competed in the race, including the D-team, which placed 27th (49:20), and the E-unit, which finished 28th (49:42). The D-team included senior Brittany Mather (North Kingstown, R.I.), freshman Lauren Clum-Russell (Saco, Maine) and junior Kristyn Bliss (Derry, N.H.). The E-unit featured three freshmen, including Hadley Doubleday (Plymouth, Mass.), Rachel Ross (Randolph, N.H.) and Kayla DiGiantommaso (Manchester, N.H.).

Franklin Pierce returns to action next Saturday when the Ravens race in the Bryant Invitational in Smithfield, R.I. The women's race will begin at 10 a.m. and will be a 5,000-meter challenge.

For more information on Franklin Pierce women's cross country, please visit the team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens). You can also follow Franklin Pierce cross country/track & field and head coach Zach Emerson through Twitter at www.twitter.com/RavensCoachXCTF(.)