BRISTOL, R.I. - Saturday marked another historical day in the history of Lesley University cross country as it was the first time that a female runner finished first overall in a major event.  Charlotte Goff (Osterville, Mass.) achieved this feat at the Roger Williams Invitational as she bested a field of 124 runners with a time of 19:56.28.

Goff finished the 5K race 14 seconds ahead of the second place finisher.  Her performance was the highlight of a solid team performance which saw the Lynx finish in fifth place (119).  Ahead of Lesley were University of New England (112), Johnson & Wales University (111), United States Coast Guard Academy (93), and host Roger Williams University (43).

"It seems like every week there is a significant accomplishment," commented Head Coach Dan Flynn.  "Last week the men ran as a team for the first time.  This week we had our first woman runner win a major invitational.  Charlotte led the whole race and never let anyone come between her and the finish line.  It was truly impressive to watch.  Her success is a combination of a positive attitude and an excellent work ethic."

Another notable finish on the women's side was freshman Rachel Federico (Salem, Mass.) who crossed the finish line as the fifth Lynx runner.  It was the first time Federico was a part of the team scoring for the Lynx as she clocked in at 24:37.51.

On the men's side, the male Lynx followed their first ever team scoring finish with another solid outing, despite not accumulating team points. 

Fran Cusick (Lexington, Mass.) had yet another top ten finish with a time of 28:23.80 in the 8K race which was good for fourth overall. 

Rounding out the Lynx finishers were Brian Axelrod (River Vale, N.J.) at 30:58.9, Matthew Hunt (Dracut, Mass.) at 33:31.89, and Ben Arcangeli (Westborough, Mass.) at 40:42.31.

"I saw some positive things on Saturday from the men.  Each runner had his own battle and most of them either won their battle or put in maximum effort to achieve his goals. This was very promising."

Lesley will next race at the Saints Invitational at Franklin Park on Friday, October 17 starting at 4 pm. 

To learn more about the Lesley University men's and women's cross country teams, please visit their website.

Contact:          Rob Palardy
                        Sports Information Director
                        Lesley University
                        617.349.8627 (office)
                        617.349.8640 (fax)
                        rpalardy@lesley.edu