The SVC men's and women's cross country squads teamed up to open up the 2009 season by hosting the fifth annual Saint Vincent Alumni Run 5K.

Seventy-five runners total participated in the event, with the current Lady Bearcat squad defeating the women alums by a score of 19-43.

Ivette Mejia was the first overall female finisher, covering the 5K course in 19:42 for the Lady Bearcats.  Tess Jones, a 2007 SVC graduate and current assistant coach for the Lady Bearcats, led the alumni women, finishing second behind Mejia with a time of 20:15.

Rounding out the top finishers for the current Lady Bearcats - Katie Macioce was the third female finisher, ending with a time of 21:13.  Teammate Emma Goetz finished right behind Macioce, turning in a time of 21:17, while Claudia Arrunategui took fourth (21:44), Natalie Wolff fifth (21:45), Brenda Hartman sixth (23:13), and Carrie Brust seventh (24:03).

Following Jones for the alumni, 2005 graduate Amanda Rubis was the seventh overall female finisher (23:23), Sarah Johnson-Barnett 14th (25:31), Erica Gaster 17th (26:41), Tara Karns 19th (27:07), and Mariann Vaczi 20th (27:43).

The Lady Bearcats opened the season with a fifth-place finish at the 10-team California University (PA) Invitational in Belle Vernon, PA.

Saint Vincent boasted a pair of medalists, led by Ivette Mejia's fifth-place individual finish (19:17), and Emma Goetz's 13th-place time of 19:52.

Katie Macioce was the third Lady Bearcat finisher of the day, taking 21st overall with a time of 20:35, while SVC's Natalie Wolff took 31st (21:04), Claudia Arrunategui 32nd (21:08), Kelsey Sullivan 41st (25:52), and Brenda Hartman 42nd (21:57).   A total of 109 runners from 10 different schools competed.

The team title was won by Grove City College, with 54 points, followed by California (66), Clarion (90), Seton Hill (95), SVC (102), Mercyhurst (134), Pitt-Johnstown (232), West Liberty (235), Point Park (241), and Muskingum (253).

The individual title went to Mercyhurst's Christie Turak, who covered the 5K course in 17:49, besting second place finisher Erin Klink of Cal U by 49 seconds.

Three members of the Lady Bearcat team earned top-15 medals, while the team finished third overall at the Marietta College Invitational in Ohio.

Ivette Mejia finished third overall, timed in 20:13 for the 5K distance.  Teammate Emma Goetz was 11th (20:53), while Katie Macioce was 13th (21:11).

Otterbein College won the overall team event with a score of 34, while California University of PA was second (49).  Saint Vincent finished third with a score of 69, ahead of Marietta (99), Robert Morris University (107), West Liberty State (167) and Ohio Valley University (194).

The Lady Bearcats finished 13th of 24 teams in the small college division of the National Catholic Invitational at the University of Notre Dame.

Overall, including Division I schools, Saint Vincent finished 19th among 31 teams.

Ivette Mejia covered the 5K distance in 19:34, good for 40th overall and 21st in the small college division.  Teammate Katie Macioce finished 61st in the second division, timed in 20:41.  Rounding out the top five for Saint Vincent were Natalie Wolfe (20:51), Claudia Arrunetegui (21:06) and Kelsey Sullivan (21:36).

In the accompanying JV race, Carolyn Brust finished 37th among 105 runners, timed in 21:48 for SVC.

For complete results, click here.

Behind SVC sophomore Ivette Mejia's first place individual finish, the Lady Bearcats took third as a team at the 2009 Saint Vincent Invitational.

Mejia placed first overall, covering the 5K course in 19:19, eight seconds ahead of second place finisher Erin Kling of California University (PA).

Two other SVC runners earned medals, as Emma Goetz took 12th, with a time of 20:23, and Katie Macioce 15th in 20:34.  Rounding out the Lady Bearcat top seven, Natalie Wolff finished 22nd (21:03), Claudia Arrunategui 30th (21:29), Brenda Hartman 48th (22:03), and Rebecca Leonard 50th (22:15).

Grove City captured the team title, with a score of 51, edging out second-place California (PA) by one point.  Following third-place Saint Vincent, there was a three-way tie for fourth place, with Geneva, Westminster, and Franciscan all tallied scores of 135.

Penn State-Altoona ended up in seventh place, with a score of 206, followed by Waynesburg (219), Pitt-Johnstown (285), Thiel (304), Hagerstown CC (313), Chatham (343), Davis & Elkins (381), Pitt-Greensburg (388), and Mt. Aloysius (468).

Ivette Mejia took first place overall, and the Lady Bearcats won the team title in the Juniata College Invitational, held at Fort Roberdeau in Altoona, PA.

Mejia led the group of 56 runners with a time of 19:50.  Teammate Emma Goetz finished fifth (20:57), while Katie Macioce was seventh (21:20).

Rounding out the top five for SVC were Natalie Wolfe (12th, 21:55) and Claudia Arrunategui (13th, 22:05).

Saint Vincent won the team event with a score of 35, followed by Juniata (47), Penn State-Altoona (71), Bridgewater College (76) and Hagerstown College (133). 

Saint Vincent's women's XC team finished 11th among 28 teams in the Gettysburg College Invitational on a wet course.

Ivette Mejia finished 13th among 289 runners in the 6K event, timed in 24:29, earning a medal.

Emma Goetz was 54th overall with a time of 25:58, while Katie Macoice was 80th, timed in 26:29.  Completing the top seven for Saint Vincent were Kelsey Sullivan (26:42), Natalie Wolff (26:48), Claudia Arrunategui (27:30) and Brenda Hartman (27:40). 

Division II state school Shippensburg University won the overall event with a score of 72, followed by Christopher Newport (88), Messiah (127), Gettysburg (139) and Ohio Wesleyan (167).