Boston– The UConn women’s cross country team kicked off its 2023 season with a convincing win at the Suffolk Short Course Classic in Boston, M.
The Huskies sent a limited group to the starting line, but that didn’t matter as they pulled out a win over some competitive northeast schools that will be seen later in the year at the team’s regional meet.
The results in the top 10 were filled with the Husky logo. Posting a low score of 24, Connecticut placed second, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh as UConn outpaced Northeastern and WPI for the team win.
Leading the way for the pack was Malin Rahm. In her debut, the freshman finished with a time of 10:48.6 for the 3k race, just over three seconds back from the top finisher. With a stellar first run, Rahm will be looked upon during the championship season to replicate a similar performance.
Following Rahm, sophomore Chloe Trudel ran a time of 10:55.9, earning herself a top four finish. Having the top two Huskies be underclassmen bodes well for the future of the program.
Rounding out the scoring was senior Rachael Woodruff and sophomores Loghan Hughes and Allison McCarthy. The trio gave UConn the final push to secure the team win.
“It was a great opener and fun to shake the dust off with a short course,” said Woodruff. “Our focus was to win as a team by running as a pack up front, and everyone performed well to do that.”
“Even though we didn’t have our full squad, we wanted to be intentional with our race mentality and set the tone for the momentum we hope to carry into the season.”
Picked number seven in the 2023 Preseason Division I Women’s Cross Country Northeast Regional Rankings, the Huskies started the season off perfectly with a win. Ranked two spots ahead was Northeastern, the team UConn beat out this weekend.
The Huskies look to continue the momentum next weekend as UConn travels to Providence, RI, for the Providence Friar Invitational on Friday, Sep. 8. More Northeast opponents will be showcased, including preseason number one ranked Providence.
Adding in veteran runners with the group of underclassmen should produce a hard-fought battle on the grass.
“This team has a lot of potential and I’m excited to see what we can do this year,” said Woodruff.
