NEW BRITAIN, Conn. -- Led by senior Rachel Suss, who finished 22nd overall, the Yale women's cross country team placed 8th at the 2019 CCSU Mini Meet Friday. 

Six Bulldogs ran their way to personal bests in the 3 kilometer race on Friday. Suss, first across the line for Yale, ran a big personal record of 10:33.8, smashing her previous best of 11:07 and finishing just 40 seconds behind winner Angelia Rafter from CCSU. Juniors Chloe Jensen and Sarah Pillard followed close behind Suss, clocking times of 10:43.9 and 10:44.7, respectively. This demonstrates a huge improvement for both athletes, with Jensen improving upon her previous time on this course by 22 seconds and Pillard shaving 20 seconds off of her previous best time as well. 

Hannah Steffke also ran her best time on this course, boasting a 10:50.1, good for a 42nd place finish overall. Yale's fifth finisher was first year Nicole Dirks. This marked the first 3K race for Dirks as a Bulldog and she did not disappoint, finishing with a strong kick down the finish and running a 10:59.7. Captain Lauren Chapey also had a fast finish, outkicking multiple other athletes in the final meters of the race to finish in 11:05.9. Rounding out the Bulldogs' top 7 runners for the day was Caroline Brashear, who also competed in her first 3K for Yale. 

Full results can be found here.  

Next week, the women of Yale will be taking on the rest of the Ivy League in the 2019 Cross Country Heptagonal Championships on Friday, Nov. 1 at Van Cortlandt Park.