MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- The No. 1 MIT women's cross country team opened the 2025 season with a victory on Saturday at the 6k Cardinal Invitational, hosted by Wesleyan University at the Wes Fuhrman '05 Trails Cross Country Course.
Making the team's first appearance since the program captured its first national title last fall, the Engineers dominated the field, finishing with six runners in the top eight, paced by senior Kate Sanderson's runner-up finish in 20:49.59.
THE BASICS:
- Winning Team Score: MIT with 22 points
- Top Finisher: Hannah Stephenson, Amherst (20:44.99)
- Top MIT Finisher: Kate Sanderson, 2nd (20:49.59)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- MIT's veteran leadership asserted itself at the top of the leaderboard, with graduate student Gillian Roeder finishing third in 21:06.96 and senior Rujuta Sane capturing fourth in 21:10.71.
- Senior Lexi Fernandez paced the next wave of MIT finishers with a sixth-place finish in 21:28.18.
- Junior Heather Jensen followed Fernandez to the finish in seventh, recording a time of 21:37.80 to complete MIT's team score. Sophomore Ava Hartman was eighth in 21:46.17.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- The Engineers had ten runners in the top 15 and all 16 of its competing runners in the 50 of the overall standings.
- First year Jordan Lacsamana was 11th in her collegiate debut with a time of 22:14.20.
- Sanderson was also the runner-up in last year's season-opener at the Maribel Sanchez Souther Invite.
- Sane's fourth place finish was a collegiate best for the senior.
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