BRUNSWICK, Maine – The Saint Joseph's College of Maine women's cross country team finished seventh among 11 scoring teams at the Maine State Championships, hosted by Bowdoin College on Saturday, September 19. Racing over six kilometers, the Monks totaled 215 points with a 25:14 team average.
Sophomore Amber Pendleton (Warren, Maine) led Saint Joseph's with a 77th-place finish in 24:33.6, while freshman Haley Marston (Greene, Maine) followed in 82nd at 24:52.4. Maine claimed the team title with 19 points, followed by Bates (63) and Bowdoin (83).
NEED TO KNOW:
The Monks put six runners inside the top 100 in a field of 151 finishers. Senior Cadance Gilbert placed 87th in 25:20.0, junior Haley Williams finished 89th in 25:40.1, and freshman Juliana Yankowsky rounded out the scoring five in 91st at 25:47.5. Saint Joseph's top five finished within 1:13.9 of one another, with freshman Meg Kingsley close behind in 94th at 25:53.8. The Monks finished 39 points ahead of eighth-place Maine-Farmington.
FOR THE MONKS:
- Sophomore Amber Pendleton (Warren, Maine) – 77th, 24:33.6
- Freshman Haley Marston (Greene, Maine) – 82nd, 24:52.4
- Senior Cadance Gilbert (Keene, N.H.) – 87th, 25:20.0
- Junior Haley Williams (Winthrop, Maine) – 89th, 25:40.1
- Freshman Juliana Yankowsky (North Andover, Mass.) – 91st, 25:47.5
- Freshman Meg Kingsley (Windham, Maine) – 94th, 25:53.8
- Junior Olivia Bean (South Portland, Maine) – 127th, 28:02.6
- Freshman Danica Patry (Berlin, N.H.) – 133rd, 30:06.0
A YEAR OF PROGRESS:
Saint Joseph's moved up from eighth place in 2025 to seventh this year, improving its score from 223 to 215. The Monks lowered their listed team average from 26:15 to 25:14 and cut 5:05 from their combined scoring time. Their first-to-fifth spread also narrowed from 2:31.8 to 1:13.9, reflecting a more closely packed scoring group. Pendleton improved her time by 34 seconds, bettering last year's 25:07.6 effort.
COACH'S CORNER:
"We worked together, ran smart, and had fun. All that teamwork showed on the course today and resulted in strong early season performances," said Head Coach Mike Burleson.
UP NEXT!
The Monks return to action on Sunday, October 4 at the Maslan Invitational, hosted by Colby-Sawyer College in New London, N.H. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11:00 AM.
