Lambert Blitzes Field, Claims Crown at Philadelphia Metro Championship; Women’s Cross Country Takes Fourth
Ravens put four in top 35
PHILADELPHIA (September 12, 2015) – Senior Alyssa Lambert (Manchester, N.H.) made history for the Franklin Pierce University women's cross country team on Saturday, as she became the first student-athlete in program history to lay claim to an individual title. Her 5k time of 20:27.6 at the Philadelphia Metropolitan Championship -- hosted by Philadelphia Univ. at Belmont Plateau -- was the only time under 21 minutes and led the Ravens to a fourth-place finish, out of 17 teams.
Lambert's time was good enough to win by nearly 40 seconds, as Nyack senior Nicole Pagan took second with a run of 21:06.2. Univ. of the Sciences freshman Regan Asay (21:14.2), Philadelphia Univ. senior Emilie Barton (21:24.1) and Chestnut Hill freshman Raquel Lopez (21:29.0) rounded out the top five, in that order.
Lambert was the first of four Ravens to finish in the top-35 in the 115-runner field, though the next three all finished in a pack between 30th and 33rd. Sophomore Vanessa Monzon (Manchester, N.H.) finished 30th with a time of 22:53.6, freshman Sarah Hart (Glastonbury, Conn.) placed 32nd by running a 23:00.1, and sophomore Natalie Davies (Ware, Mass.) was 33rd by stopping the clock at 23:01.5. Senior Shannon Lozier (Merrimac, Mass.) rounded out Franklin Pierce's scoring five by posting a 24:33.2 to finish 55th.
It all added up to 141 points for the Ravens, who placed fourth in the event. The host Rams of Philadelphia Univ. finished with just 46 points -- with three runners posting top-10 finishes -- to claim the title. The Rams were 12-point victors over Nyack (58 points), which finished second. Univ. of the Sciences (94) took third in front of Franklin Pierce, while Chestnut Hill (152) rounded out the top five.
The Ravens return to action on Saturday, Sept. 19, when they travel to the UMass Dartmouth Invitational in Dartmouth, Mass.
For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce cross country apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).