SALEM, Ore. – With the MIAC Championships fast approaching, the College of Saint Benedict cross country team delivered a strong showing at the Linfield George Oja Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 18, turning in numerous personal and program-best performances against a highly competitive field.

Competing at the Oak Knoll Golf Course, the Bennies placed 12th out of 31 teams—many from NCAA Division I and II programs—and tallied 369 team points. Boise State won the 6K meet with 40 points, followed by Portland and Eastern Washington.

In a field of 352 runners, senior Mary Kenney led the charge for Saint Benedict with a career-best time of 22:27.8, placing 58th overall. Her time not only shattered her previous personal best but also now ranks sixth all-time in CSB cross country history.

Rookie Daphne Grobstein continued her impressive first season by running 23:04.1, good for 95th place and the 19th-fastest time in program history. Right behind her, junior Anabella Witschen turned in a personal-best 23:19.6—the 29th-fastest in CSB history—to place 117th.

Senior Rachel Olinger clocked a lifetime-best 23:20.2, ranking 31st on the program's all-time list and finishing 120th. Sophomore Mollie Ping followed closely with a personal-best of 23:24.6 (32nd in program history), placing 124th. Junior Abby Bufkin added another historic time with a 23:41.9 finish, good for 46th all-time at CSB and 133rd in the race.

In total, 22 of the 24 Bennies runners recorded personal bests, underscoring a breakout day for the team as they build momentum toward the postseason. Among them were junior Julia Babineau (23:57.4) and senior Meaghan McDonald (24:18.4), both hitting career-best marks.

The individual title went to Alauna Carstens of Evergreen State, who won the race in 20:15.2.

The Bennies now turn their focus to the MIAC Championships, set for Saturday, Nov. 1, as they aim to carry this wave of season-best form into conference competition.