BOSTON, Mass. — Simmons Cross Country opened their season Saturday at The Codfish Bowl 5K at Franklin Park in an open event with diverse competition, ranging from all divisions of collegiate athlete to elite runners. The conditions were unusually humid for this time of year, which became a vice for multiple runners near the finish.

With a field of over 250, the Sharks utilized the race as a tune-up, familiarizing the young roster with the pace of a collegiate race, and gaining valuable experience for the remainder of their season. Junior Nicole Chao (Fremont, Calif.) led the Sharks, finishing in 22:19, while teammate Moriah Cohen (Bennington, Vt.) finished not far behind at 22:54. Freshman Cara Coughlin (Chelmsford, Mass.), Tiara Wright (Chicopee, Mass.), and Shelly Potter (York, Maine) ran in their first collegiate race and will be competitive for the Sharks this season, showing exceptional improvement from the beginning of the season.

"I'm really pleased with the way our athletes performed. They ran their hearts out, and they ran with courage in the face of stiff competition. More than anything, yesterday's race was an opportunity to see where we stand after our first two weeks of training. Our first GNAC race isn't until mid-October, so we'll take the lessons we learned from today's race and use them to guide our training until then," said Coach O'Brien.

The Sharks return to action October 14th when they travel to the Saints Invitational at 4:30 p.m.