By: Scott Eddy, Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Communications
MECHANICSVILLE, Va. – Junior Madeline McKillop led the St. Bonaventure women's cross country team on a perfect morning for racing in the Atlantic 10 Championships Saturday at Pole Green Park.
McKillop turned in a new personal best 6K time of 22:40.2, eclipsing her previous best by over 16 seconds.
She was 82nd across the finish line in the field of over 120 competitors, just ahead of her teammate Chloe Fisher.
Fisher took her career-best A10 Championship finish just three spots behind McKillop as she crossed the stripe at 22:44.2. Fisher continued her best season as she jumped 34 spots in the finishing order from last year's A10 Championship meet.
Bona's top runners were tightly packed as junior Miranda Habshi was right behind her teammates, clocking in at 22:47.6.
Junior Madison McMahon gave the Bonnies a fourth top-100 finisher (22:57.5). The Bonnies top-five averaged 22:57.
As a team, the Bonnies placed 13th.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH BOB MACFARLANE
"Today was another big step forward for our women's program. We continue to move in the right direction, both in our team standings and in our overall performances. One of the biggest indicators of our progress is our team average time. Last year, we averaged 23:47, and today we lowered that to 22:57 — an impressive 50-second improvement per runner. That's a significant jump in one year and a reflection of the hard work, commitment, and development of this group.
"What makes this even more exciting is where this program is headed. Eight of our top nine women will return next year, and when you combine that experience with our incoming recruiting class, the future of this program looks extremely promising. We're very proud of the progress these ladies continue to make. We're not where we ultimately want to be yet, but the direction is clear, the momentum is building, and there's a lot to be excited about moving forward."
BONNIES RESULTS
82. Madeline McKillop – 22:40.2 (PR)
85. Chloe Fisher – 22:44.2
90. Miranda Habshi – 22:47.6
96. Madison McMahon – 22:57.5
113. Sophia Bille – 23:35.1
114. Sydney March – 23:35.4
119. Sydney Dunn – 23:47.1
120. Estella Hyde – 23:56.6
123. Gabriella Randazzo – 24:01.6
UP NEXT
Bona's regional qualifiers will finish the season at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship meet at Bethpage State Park on Long Island Friday, Nov. 13.
