Women’s Cross Country: Macalester Places Third at Ole Opener

Scots Post 140 Points to Claim Top-3 Finish

Saint Paul, Minn. –

Led by another stellar performance from Mya Wetzel, the Macalester College women's cross country team began the 2022 campaign on Saturday morning by placing third among eight teams at the Ole Opener, hosted by St. Olaf College. The Scots' team total of 140 points was good for third place, behind only the host Oles (35 points) and Division II Winona State University (77 points).

Wetzel paced Macalester with a 22nd-place finish in the 6-kilometer race, crossing the line with a time of 25:09.1. Wetzel's finish was her second-straight top-25 result to open a season, and her time was 45 seconds faster than her opening race in 2021. Finishing just behind Wetzel was senior Emma Atkinson, who turned in a PR of 25:34.0 to place 28th overall.

Four other Scots finished among the top 50 to round out the team scoring. First-year runner Molly McLaughlin made her collegiate debut in impressive fashion, running to a 38th-place finish and a time of 26:14.7. Close behind were junior Maggie Springer (41st, 26:29.8), senior Claire Maddox (48th, 26:41.6) and first-year Anya Price (50th, 26:47.0). The Scots' spread of 4:38.9 between their first and sixth runners was the second-smallest of any team in the field.