Youngwood, PA - The Mount Aloysius men's and women's cross country teams began their season on Saturday as both teams competed at the Westmoreland Invitational hosted by Westmoreland County Community College. The women's side was particularly strong as they finished as the runner-up to Frostburg State.

On the women's side, the Mounties had two runners finish in the top-5 among 38 individuals who competed. Lauren Shrader finished in fourth place with a time of 23 minutes, which was good for a 7:25 pace per mile. Cynthia Santoyo finished right behind her teammate in fifth place with a final time of 24:19. Laken Lapso was next in line for the Mounties with a 12th place finish and final time of 25:40, and Morgan Strait rounded out the top-20 finishers for Mount Aloysius with a time of 29:04.

For the men's team, Majeh Alzahrain was the lead finisher for the Mounties with a final time of 23:56. Alzahrain placed 36th on the men's side of the competition.

The Mountie cross country teams will return to the course on Saturday, September 17th at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown for the AMCC Preview Meet.