LATROBE, Pa. (Oct. 29) – Led by a pair of all-conference performances by freshmen on their sun-splashed home course, the Saint Vincent College women's cross country team placed third at the 2022 Presidents' Athletic Conference Women's Cross Country Championship.

Kristen Prince placed third in the 103-runner field with a 6-kilometer time of 22:58, while classmate Miranda Cincotta turned in a seventh-place time of 23:12.

Prince and Cincotta each earned First Team All-PAC honors, while Prince, the top freshman finisher in the field, was named the 2022 PAC Women's Cross Country Newcomer of the Year.

The Bearcats totaled a team score of 93 points to place third in the 11-team field, matching their highest finish at the conference championship meet since placing second in 2010.  

Behind Prince and Cincotta, the Bearcats' third and fourth finishers were also rookies, with freshman Lily Murphy placing 26th in 24:39 and Cassy Lanza taking 32nd in 25:01. Junior Lauren Brennan closed out the Bearcats' scoring five, placing 33rd in 25:05.

Junior Joy Pontzer earned a 46th-place finish in a time of 25:49, with Grace Scoville (27:38), Laura Heinzeroth (29:01) and Ruth Milne (30:26) rounding out the Saint Vincent competitors.

Joining Prince and Cincotta as conference awardees, Scoville was named to the PAC Sportsmanship Team.

Paced by five runners in the top 14, Allegheny College earned the team championship with 41 points, followed by Geneva College with 83 points and the Bearcats with 93.

Franciscan University's Claire Walters was named the PAC Runner of the Year after placing first in a time of 22:00.06, 37 seconds ahead of second-place Cassie Carr of Washington & Jefferson.

The Bearcats will now have a two-week layoff before returning to action at the 2022 Mid-Atlantic Region Championships, scheduled for Nov. 12 at Lock Haven University.