NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The Yale women's cross country team kicked off its 2019 season with a win over Harvard Friday at The Course at Yale. The Bulldogs were led by a convincing individual victory by Kayley DeLay.

After a hard-fought race from the Bulldogs over 5,000 meters, they came just ahead of the Crimson, winning 27–28. DeLay was the first woman across the line, taking the win in 17:28 after assuming the lead with more than a kilometer remaining. Finishing second for the Bulldogs and second overall, Jane Miller clinched a time of 17:34 just ahead of three Crimson athletes. Sevanne Ghazarian claimed a sixth-place finish overall while Gemma Shepherd and Hannah Schupansky rounded out the top five scorers for Yale.

In addition to besting their rivals, the Bulldogs displayed incredible depth in Friday's race, with five athletes finishing in a 15 second time frame as Yale's number six through 10 runners, led by first year Kelli Hines. All finishing in under 20 minutes, Kosana Weir, Lauren Chapey, Rachel Suss and Hannah Steffke also finished in a tight-knit pack for the Bulldogs. Meanwhile the Crimson were led by Anna Juul, who ran 5:42 pace per mile for an overall time of 17:46. A tight pack followed with two more Harvard runners edging under 18 minutes, but Yale's three through five runners just edged out their Harvard opponents. 

The hilly course for Friday's race served as good practice for both teams as they prepare to take on the hills at Van Cortlandt Park for this year's Ivy League Championships in November. 

Full results can be found here.