NORTHAMPTON, Mass.— The Babson College women's cross country team posted its best finish in program history at the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championships with a fifth-place showing Saturday morning at the Smith College cross country course.

The Beavers, who placed seventh in the NEWMAC the last two seasons, totaled 168 points which tied the 2011 squad for the lowest in the NEWMAC era. No. 9 MIT cruised to its 19th straight championship with 19 points, while Coast Guard (56 points) came in second. Smith (84 points), Wellesley (105 points), and Babson. 

The Beavers had three consecutive runners in the top 40 out of 134 entries. Junior Shriya Peddi (Monmouth Junction, N.J.) was first across the line in 37th place in the 6K race in a time of 24:26, sophomore Angelina Widmer (Wantagh, N.Y.) came in 38th in 24:27, and classmate Ali Meyers (Darien, Conn.) finished 39th in 24:28.

First-year Anastasia Marich (Mequon, Wis.) had a strong performance in her NEWMAC debut, crossing the finish line in 46th place in a time of 25:05, and junior Sophia Draxler (Chester, N.J.) was Babson's fifth scorer with a 54th place in a time of 25:17.

Senior Taijah Harvey (Concord, Mass.) placed 76th in a time of 26:38, first-year Tory Meran (Boca Raton, Fla.) was five seconds behind in 79th place in 26:43, junior Annabelle Svenson (Montclair, N.J.) was 81st in a time of 26:52, and sophomore Sophia Nakakura (San Francisco, Calif.) placed 84th with a time of 27:06.

Babson returns to action on Saturday, November 14, when it travels to South Portland, Maine, for the NCAA East Regionals at the Wainwright Sportsplex. 

MEET NOTES
• Babson's fifth place bettered the previous program standard of sixth place, achieved in both 2010 and 2011.
• The Beavers' 168 points were significant improvements over the last three seasons, when they scored 295 in 2023, 209 in 2024, and 199 in 2025.
• Widmer jumped up to 38th place after finishing 86th last year and Harvey went from 124th a year ago to 76th this season.