ST. ALBANS, Vt. – Jane Leighton began the 2021 campaign with a commanding 17.7-second margin of victory to headline UVM cross country at the Vermont Invite, hosted at Hard'Ack Recreation Area. The Catamount women (42 pts.) finished second in the team competition behind UMass (31 pts). The UVM men posted 85 points to finish fourth.
 
RELATED LINKS
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Results: Women's 5K | Men's 8K
Photos
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"It was good to simply get back to the routine of racing again," head coach Matt Belfield said. "I want to focus on the positives for sure. Jane was fantastic today with her performance, and Meaghan is back to top form from a couple years ago. Lindy raced exceptionally well also. Our women need to tighten up the back, but we've got tine and women are committed. Ian and Christian raced well today for the men, and while we didn't have a great team result, you could see the effort out there for sure. Kudos to Will Scott for a great first 8K as well."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Vermont women secured two of the top three spots, led by Leighton's winning time of 17:55.40. Meaghan Alba finished in third place with a time of 18:26.00.
• Andie Cornish was the Catamounts' third runner to cross the line in the women's 5K, with a time of 19:11.10 and an 11th-place overall finish.
• Lindy Stadtlander (19:15.10) and Clare Kelly (19:18.00) rounded out the Vermont scorers, finishing 13th and 14th, respectively.
• Ian Denis was the Catamounts' frontrunner on the men's side, logging a time of 25:45.40 for ninth overall in the men's 8K.
• Christian Groff (25:59.90) and Wyatt Matyas (26:22.40) were in the top-20 overall, with finishes of 12th and 19th, respectively.
• First year Will Scott (26:35.50) and junior Nathan Stine (26:36.20) rounded out the UVM scorers with finishes of 22nd and 23rd, respectively.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Leighton's individual victory is the first of her cross country career at UVM. She previously recorded a fifth-place finish at Hard'Ack Recreation Area in 2019.

UP NEXT
The Catamounts return to action on September 18 for the UNH Pre-Conference Meet. The Saturday afternoon competition will preview the course for the 2021 America East Cross Country Championships. The event begins at 12 p.m. with the women's race, followed by the men at 12:45 p.m.