ATTLEBORO, Mass.—Sophomore Alexandra Kirkpatrick (Middleborough, Mass.) placed fifth overall and the Babson College women's cross country team had six runners finish among the top 14 on the way to claiming first place at the season-opening Wheaton Invitational on Saturday morning at Highland Park. 

The Beavers totaled 35 points to finish one point ahead of second-place Wheaton in the seven-team field. Naomi Cass of Bridgewater State posted a time of 12:00 on the two-mile course, which was good for an 11-second victory. 

Kirkpatrick crossed the finish line with a time of 12:40 and was joined in the top 10 by sophomore Avery Butt (Orange, Conn.), who placed ninth with a time of 12:53. Junior Ali Thomas (Vero Beach, Fla.) came in 11th with a time of 12:57, while sophomore Chloe Clifford (Marshfield, Mass.) finished 12th just a second behind her. 

Senior Alyssa Keith (Newburyport, Mass.) came in 13th with a time of 13:16 and junior Eujin Shin (Rochester Hills, Minn.) was 14th in a time of 13:19. First-years Colleen Corman (Quaker Hill, Conn.) and Isabella Mozilo (Glendale, Calif.) tied for 19th position with a time of 13:19 and sophomore Mariana Valencia (Houston, Texas) finished 29th with a time of 14:45 in her collegiate debut.  

Babson returns to action next Saturday when it travels to Northampton, Mass., for the Smith Invitational.