MANCHESTER, N.H. – The freshman duo of Abby Marston (Greene, Maine) and Mia Sweeney (Plymouth, Mass.) stepped up for the Plymouth State University women's cross country team to aid them to a third place finish at the Shacklette Invitational hosted by St. Anselm on Saturday morning.
 
Marston and Sweeney put together strong performances for their 6k debuts and, without the team's top runner to lead them, stepped into their roles well with Marston taking ninth in 26:53.70 and Sweeney inside the top 15 in 28-minutes flat.
 
The Panthers took their second consecutive third place finish.
 
 
The Basics:

• Shacklette Invitational – 3rd of 4 Teams

Team Scores:

• St. Anselm (23), St. Michael's (38), Plymouth State (75), Rivier (114)

How it Happened:

• Marston led the Panthers with a ninth place finish in 26:53.70 and Sweeney took 12th in 28:00.00.
• Sophomore Abby Bergeron (Essex, Vt.) and junior Isabel Costa (Harrisville, R.I.) paced each other for spots in the top 25 in times of 28:41.60 and 28:43.70.
• Senior Montana Casa (Storrs Mansfield, Conn.) and freshman Hailey Perry (Tiverton, R.I.) rounded out the Panthers' runners when they ran 30:28.60 and 32:01.30, respectively.

Up Next:

• The Panthers get a sneak peek at the Little East Conference championship course when they head to Dartmouth, Mass. for the UMass Dartmouth Invitational next Saturday (Sept. 14). The women's 6k starts at noon.