BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Haverford College women's cross country team took to the course at the prestigious Paul Short Run on Friday, competing in the Collegiate 6K White Race at the Goodman Cross Country Course on the campus of Lehigh University. The Fords finished 23rd out of 42 teams in the mid-afternoon event, which was Haverford's first 6K race of the season. 

Sophomore Katie Hirsche posted a strong performance, finishing 12th overall in a field of 334 total runners with a time of 22:34.2. Hirsche, the Centennial Conference's 10,000 meter champion during her rookie track & field campaign, has been Haverford's top finisher at each of the three races so far this season. 

The next Haverford runner to toe the finish line was sophomore Krysta Nichols, who finished in 25:00.5, good for 139th overall. Just behind Nichols was classmate Dominique Monroy, who was the 143rd harrier to cross the finish in 25:02.4, a new personal best in the distance. 

First-year Carly Priest made her collegiate 6K debut with a 26:21.5 for 213th overall, while classmate Audrey Carter was the 216th to cross in 26:25.2. First-year Jessie Hausman (26:34.6, 222nd) and senior Annemarie Wood (27:08.4, 243rd) rounded out the top seven for the Fords. Senior Hedy Goodman (27:35.3) and 6K debutant Sophia Furman (27:41.2) rounded out the Haverford contingent on a seasonably chilly day for racing in the Lehigh Valley. 

Women's Cross Country is next in action on Saturday, October 15, competing at the Rowan Border Battle at the DREAM Park in Gloucester Township, N.J. The event will begin at 12 p.m. and features some of the top competitors from both the Metro and Mideast Regions converging in South Jersey.