BOONE, N.C. –The Highlanders women's cross country team competed in the Blue Ridge Open on Friday. The Highlanders ran against their toughest competition of the season with many of the teams regionally ranked. The women's team tallied 327 points to finish eleventh out of 26 teams. Junior Lori Crotts (New Castle, Va./Craig County) crossed the finish line in 18th place to pace the Highlanders. 

Crotts' time of 18:58 was only eight seconds shy of her personal best of 18:50 which she ran at the Paul Onesty Invitational last year. Sophomore #Ashyln Sinclair# (Silver Springs, Md./Montgomery Blair) finished 39th with a time of 19:22 while junior #Tara Connor# (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam) placed 87th with a time of 19:59.

Brittany Christian (Cary, N.C./Green Hope) and #Rachel Travitz# (Roanoke, Va./Cave Spring) both set new personal best. Christian broke her old personal best by nine seconds with a time of 19:47 and Travitz broke her old record by fourteen tenths of second with a time of 20:25.

The Highlanders will return to action on November 1st as they compete in the Big South Conference Championship.