BOSTON, Mass. -- Led by sophomore Kosana Weir's top-20 finish, the Yale women's cross country team placed seventh overall at the 2019 New England Championships at Franklin Park.

Muddy conditions and Saturday morning rain made for a tough race in Boston, with just eight runners finishing under 18 minutes for the five kilometer race. New Hampshire and Dartmouth took the top two team spots, with Yale a few places behind but still finishing in the top half of the 14-team field. Despite holding out their top seven runners, the Bulldogs had an impressive day with many athletes recording personal bests.

Weir led the Bulldog squad throughout the race, crossing the line in a huge personal best of 18:19 to claim a 16th place finish overall. Next across the line for Yale were first year Kelli Hines and sophomore Samantha Friborg. The duo worked together and ultimately both finished in a time of 18:56, placing 40th and 41st respectively out of more than 150 runners. 

Arianna Lord was the next Yale athlete to finish, coming through the line just 10 seconds behind Hines and Friborg for a time of 19:06, while Hannah Steffke rounded out the day's top five runners with a 5K personal best of 19:32 and a 78th place finish. Both Lord and Steffke also bettered their times from the Harvard-Yale season opener, despite harsher conditions. 

Next weekend, Yale will compete in a 6K race at Pre-Nats in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Full results from today's race can be found here.