Williamstown, MA --- The WPI women's cross country team placed third overall in a stacked field at the 2022 Purple Valley Classic, hosted by Williams on Saturday. The Engineers, ranked third in the USTFCCCA East Region poll, and #34 in the national poll, placed all seven runners in the top 40 of the 117-runner field. 

With a team score of 105, WPI finished behind only Amherst (38), the #1 team in the Mideast and the #8 team in the nation, and Williams (60), the #3 team in the Mideast and the national #16. The Engineers topped fourth place Coast Guard (105), ranked seventh in the Mideast, and Smith (116), ranked #4 in the Mideast. 

Leading the way for the Engineers were top-25 finishes from graduate student Amelia Kokernak (Niskayuna, NY), junior Caitlin Guilfoyle (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY), and freshman Sophia Reynolds (Andover, NH). Kokernak was 10th overall, recording a time of 23:46.2 on the 6k course. Guilfoyle was 14th overall in a time of 23:59.3, while Reynolds was 23rd in 24:30.7. 

Junior Sarah Ossing (Catonsville, MD) and senior Lora Dufresne (Sutton, MA) were the fourth and fifth WPI finishers across the line, both earning spots in the top 30. Ossing clocked in at 24:49.1 to take 28th place, while Dufresne took 30th in 24:51.0. 

Seniors Elise Deshusses (Chapel Hill, NC) and Charlotte Kokernak (Niskayuna, NY) closed out the successful meet for the Engineers. Deshusses took 32nd place in 25:01.9 with Kokernak taking 38th place in 25:23.8. 

The Engineers have a weekend off before traveling to Conn College for the Caroline Grape '22 Memorial Blue Race on Saturday, October 15 at 10am.