CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The Haverford College women's cross country team delivered a strong performance at the DeSales Invitational on Saturday afternoon, securing a second-place finish in a field of 13 teams at the DeSales Cross Country Course.

Ranked seventh in the Metro region entering the meet, the Fords finished just behind the No. 10 team in the Mideast, Lebanon Valley, who edged out Haverford 45 to 54 in the final team standings. The Fords placed ahead of several Division III opponents, including Messiah, DeSales, Lycoming, Penn College, Cedar Crest, Penn State Berks, and Penn State Harrisburg.

Haverford had three runners in the top 10. Grace Chen led the team, finishing sixth overall with a time of 23:52. Alice Sappenfield followed closely in ninth place, clocking in at 24:02.2, while Anastasia Jaycobs rounded out the top 10 with a time of 24:08.2.

The Fords demonstrated a tight pack, with just a 45-second spread among its top five scorers. Dominique La Grenade finished 14th overall with a time of 24:30.9, and Julianna Watson was the fifth Haverford scorer, placing 15th in 24:37.3. Krysta Nichols was right behind Watson, finishing 16th at 24:37.5. Poppy Chrisman completed the top seven for Haverford, taking 19th overall with a time of 25:02.2.

Rookie Dalia Smid just missed scoring for the Fords, finishing 25th in 25:55.4. Other Haverford finishers included Sophia Furman (50th, 27:37.6), first-year Katie Strutton (65th, 28:34.6), Judy Xie (73rd, 28:57.6), Claire Parsons (81st, 29:22.5), and Grace Hannigan (103rd, 31:46.9).

The Fords will next return to action at their home meet, the Haverford Invitational, on Friday, October 25, at 4:15 p.m. This race will serve as a final tune-up before the Centennial Conference Championships, which take place on November 2 at Big Spring High School in Newville, Pa.