Lexington, VA- The Salem College Cross Country team ran at the Washington and Lee Invitational today. The harriers ran strong through the rain on the hilly 6k course. Senior captain Rachel Fichthorn (Nokesville, VA) took the lead after the one mile marker and held it for a while as she worked against the pack of strong Washington & Lee runners. Fichthorn eventually finished 9th overall out of 95 competitors (25:38) and received a top ten award.

Sophomore Julie Piernikowski (Potomac, MD) ran well as the #2 runner for Salem College with a 33rd place finish in 28:07. Lauren Meek, the junior captain from Draper, VA, finished in 38th place (28:34) while Kirsten Roberts (Abingdon, VA) finished in 52th place (30:53). First-year student-athletes Catherine Mixon (Simpsonville, SC) and Jessi Martinez (Houston, TX) finished in 90th and 95th place respectively.

As a team, Salem College placed 6th out of 13 colleges. Host school Washington & Lee won the invitational and had the top four finishers.

"Overall, the ladies ran well," stated Head Coach JP Widner. "As a team, we placed in exactly where I thought we were capable of. As individuals, Rachel ran well despite having breathing problems mid-way through the race. She hung tough to finish in the top ten. Julie, Lauren, Catherine and Jessi ran well for their second race of the season and had great finishes. Kirsten had an off day, but we expect her to rebound back to her #2 position on the team. We look forward to defending our home course next weekend."

The Spirits will return to action on September 13 as they host the 4th Annual Salem College Cross-Country Invitational starting at 10 am.

Team Results:

Team	Score
Washington and Lee	23
Catholic	64
Roanoke	69
Washington and Jefferson	112
Southern Virginia	148
Salem	172
Guilford	200
Randolph	221
Emory and Henry	252
Sweet Briar	261

Individual Results:

Place	Runner	School	Time
1.	Elizabeth Webb	W&L	24:12
2.	Kat Telfeyan	W&L	24:36
3.	Erin Long	W&J	24:41
4.	Becca Taylor	W&L	24:48
5.	Dorothy Todd	W&L	25:08
6.	Katherine Sacker	Catholic	25:14
7.	Elizabeth Mumaw	Roanoke	25:18
8.	Jenna Hackett	Catholic	25:32
9.	Rachel Fichthorn	Salem	25:38
10.	Erin Gollery	Roanoke	25:46