This past Sunday, Amherst kicked off their season at the University of Massachusetts Invitational, finishing seventh in the field. The 25th ranked Amherst women’s cross country team proudly returned this year after a strong 2015 campaign. Last fall, they competed in seven local and regional meets, including the University of Massachusetts Invitational, Little Threes and the Purple Valley Invitational.

In the postseason last year, the purple and white managed to grab fourth place at the NESCAC tournament, finishing just behind rival Middlebury. They then earned seventh place at the NCAA northeast regionals followed by a sixth place showing at the ECAC Championship.

Both rookies and veterans alike stepped up for Amherst last year, with Savanna Gornisiewicz ’17 and Lizzie Lacy ’19 standing out among the competition.

Lacy made history as one of very few first-years to win NESCACs, and she capped off her already impressive debut by finishing in 73rd place in the national tournament.

Gornisiewicz gave the first-year a run for her money with an impressive 65th place run at nationals after earning 12th at NESCACs.

Amherst returns a strong lineup with plenty of experience and talent, including Cara Lembo ’17 and Tess Frenzel ’17, both poised veterans who have performed in the past. Along with this experience, the purple and white welcome seven new first-years.

With the addition of these new faces, two assistant coaches will also spend their first year in Amherst this fall. Bethany Dumas and Victoria Jusme will lend their expertise to the team, hailing from previous coaching positions at Smith and La Salle respectively.

At the UMass invite this weekend, First-year Katherine Treanor had an impressive debut, finishing in 17th place overall with a time of 18:24. The next best runner for the purple and white, Gornisiewicz, finished in 19:03 to earn 43rd place in the race. Behind her was Lacy, who earned 68th place in the competitive event. Also factoring into the purple and white’s scoring were Lembo, Lowdon and Frenzel.

With this blend of incoming talent and seasoned experience, the purple and white strive to make a serious impact, and improve on the 2015 season. The team’s next meet will be on Sept. 24 as they race in the Purple Valley Invitational.