NEWTON, Mass. -- The Mount Ida College Athletic Department hosted the 2nd Annual Mount Ida Cross Country Invitational Saturday morning with five schools (Simmons College, Pine Manor College, Framingham State University, Curry College and Wheelock College) visiting campus for a men's 8K and a women's 5k race. In the women's division Simmons College placed 1st in overall team points (29) followed by Framingham State (43), Curry (69), Mount Ida (95) and Pine Manor (139).

In the men's division there were three schools competing, Wheelock did not qualify due to lack of runners while Framingham State (19) would take first and the Mustangs (36) snatched second place. In the women's 5k, Simmons College freshman Tiffany Pierce (Ballston Lake, New York) captured first place (21:30) followed by Framingham State junior Elena Cox (Rowley, Massachusetts) taking second (21:58). Simmons junior Bre Glynn (Marshfield, Massachusetts) would finish in third place with a time of 22:17.

The first Mount Ida women's runner to finish was freshman Emily Bernotas (Sunderland, Massachusetts) in 14th place with a time of 24:30. The next two Mustang runners were junior Michelle Willette (Charlestown, New Hampshire) (26:05) and sophomore Anna Hogle (New Lebanon, New York) (26:07) finishing 18th and 19th. Freshman Ameila Bothel (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) was next in 28th place with a time of 27:04 while sophomore Katie Tucker (Castleton, Vermont) and junior Kirsten Guerrero (New Fairfield, Connecticut) were side-by-side in 33rd and 34th at the 29 minute mark. The final Mount Ida runner, in 44th place, was sophomore Maria Lanza (Hingham, Massachusetts) (41:09).

Curry College's first finisher, freshman Leigha Sweeney (Braintree, Massachusetts), came in fifth place with a time of 22:41 while Pine Manor College junior Eunice Freire (Roxbury, Massachusetts) was the first to come in for the Gators in 24th place with a time of 26:47.

On the men's side (8k), the first three runners to cross the finish line were from Framingham State led by senior Greg Hartwich (Holliston, Massachusetts) (24:51) followed by freshmen teammates Ben Martin (Chelmsford, Massachusetts) (31:41) and Robert Wheeler (Asland, Massachusetts)(31:49). Mount Ida junior captain Daniel Rubin (Staten Island, New York) was the first Mustang to come in with a time of 31:54 in fourth place. Host junior K.J. Ross (Charlotte, North Carolina) (33:30) and freshman Aaron Kelly (Norwalk, Connecticut) (34:24) were the next two finishers for the Mustangs in sixth and seventh place.

Although Wheelock College did not have enough to field, two Wildcat runners competed led by senior Paul Collins (Hyde Park, Massachusetts) in 10th with a time of 42:40 while Wheelock junior Patrick Holland (Reading, Massachusetts) (47:42) finished in 12th.