Castagna, Mitchell Women Take First at Mitchell Invitational

WATERFORD, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's and women's cross country teams hosted Albertus Magnus College and Post University at the 2012 Mitchell Invitational on Friday evening at Stenger Farm Park.

The Post men's team placed first out of the three squads, but it was Mitchell junior Drew Castagna who was the top finisher. Castagna sprinted past Post's Jesse Perez over the final 50 meters of the race to cross the tape first, covering the 6,760-meter course in a time of 25:47.7. However, the Eagles placed five runners among the top seven finishers to clinch the team title with a score of 23 points. Mitchell finished second with 39 points while Albertus Magnus placed third with 70.

On the women's side, Mitchell (21 points) defeated Albertus Magnus (34) in a head-to-head contest. Kelsey Proctor got the Falcons off to a good start, winning the 4,667-meter race with a time of 19:40.8 that was 51 seconds faster than her nearest competitor. Post's Veronica Blekis finished as runner-up at 20:31.0, and the next three runners to cross the line were Mariners. Freshman Sheila Newcity led the way for Mitchell with a time of 20:52.4.

Mitchell will next run at the Wesleyan Invitational on Saturday, September 22 at 11 a.m.