STANDISH — Sophomore Alice Najimy (Pittsfield, Mass.) placed sixth to lead the Simmons University women’s cross country team to a seventh-place team finish at the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship at the SJC Cross Country Trail on the campus of Saint Joseph’s College in Standish. 

Suffolk University senior Emily Manfra won the individual crown on the six-kilometer course with a time of 23:11, while Colby-Sawyer College captured the team title with 44 points behind five runners finishing in the top 20. The Sharks tallied 147 points for a seventh-place effort.

Najimy turned in a 6:39 per mile average to fuel a time of 24:45 to lead Simmons. Junior Ellen Malloy (Acton, Mass.) clocked in at 27:25 to finish 29th for the Sharks, while junior Chloe O’Hara (Westminster, Mass.) crossed the finish in 35th place with a mark of 27:41. Senior Gabby Freeman (Newnan, Ga.) was right behind at 27:46 to finish 36th and first year Julia DiGiacomo (Franklin, Mass.) turned in a time of 28:48 to place 47th.

Junior Elena Dickey (North Andover, Mass.) finished 50th with a mark of 28:52 for Simmons, while first year Clare Thompson (Marshfield, Mass.) posted a time of 29:36 to place 55th.

First year Hannah Kearney (Abington, Mass.) recorded a mark of 30:16 to best her personal-record by 15 seconds finish 66th.

Senior Amelia Franklin (Bath, Maine) registered a time of 31:06 to finish 71st and first year Kaitlyn Kessel (Lincolnville, Maine) crossed the finish with a mark of 31:16 for a 73rd-place showing.

The Sharks will run again on Saturday, November 16 when they compete in the NCAA New England Regional at Pickard Fields in Brunswick.

Alan Wickström is the Director of Athletics Communications at Simmons University. 

Reach the sports department at: sports@penbaypilot.com.