Northampton, Mass. – In what could be considered a preview for the New England Women's And Men's Athletic Conference championships in early November, the Clark University women's cross country team turned in a gutsy performance to finish tenth out of 16 teams at the Smith College Invitational – a jump of four spots from a season ago – on Saturday morning.

Freshman Kristen Glennie (Standish, Maine) was the Cougars' top finisher, wrapping up the 5K layout in 21:19.

Saraneh Fitzgerald (Norfolk, Mass.) was Clark's next runner to cross the finish line at 22:26, while Alex Jeannotte (Agawam, Mass.) and Autumn Perez (Watervliet, N.Y.) completed the course on each other's heels. Jeannotte was 69th in a time of 23:51, while Perez was 70th at 23:58.

Newcomer Erin Glennie (Standish, Maine) was the Cougars' fifth scoring runner, posting a time of 24:47 in her first collegiate race.

Clark will have next weekend off and won't return to racing until September 20 at the UMass-Dartmouth Invitational.