AMHERST, Mass. -- The Amherst women's cross country team turned in solid performances at the Paul Short Run and the Keene State Invitational on Friday and Saturday, respectively. 

The Mammoth women were temporarily missing a few top runners due to injuries but still raced to an 11th-place finish at the Paul Short Run hosted by Lehigh University.

Sophomore Hannah Stephenson placed 3rd and reminded the field that she's in the national title hunt. Sophomore Flora Biro also took a step forward this week and is looking poised to improve on her 2024 NESCAC and NCAA finishes. Biro (SO-2), finished 18th in 21:36.1, The middle of the pack saw solid contributions from Audrey Seeger (SO-2) and Ava Thomas (SO-2), finishing 89th and 104th with times of 22:42.0 and 22:50.1, respectively. Dani Perez-Cartaya (SO-2) and Maya Levine (SO-2) rounded out Amherst's scoring runners, placing 150th and 191st with times of 23:10.5 and 23:28.8.

On Saturday another group of Mammoths battled the uncomfortable heat, but several athletes ran personal records despite this. The women did an excellent job of packing up and pushing each other all the way to the line. Amherst finished in 7th place. 

Leading the way for Amherst was sophomore Taylor Gudebski, who ran 23:33.3 to place 61st overall, setting the tone for the team with a strong, steady pace. Senior Daphne Theiler stayed close behind, finishing 63rd overall in 23:34.2, providing a critical second scoring spot that helped Amherst stay competitive in the middle of the pack.

First-year standout Maggie Kuchman continued Amherst's tradition of integrating promising underclassmen, crossing the line 65th overall in 23:37.1. Fellow freshman Josie McLaughlin contributed 47 team points with a 67th-place finish, rounding out the Mammoths' scoring and keeping the squad tightly bunched. Their cohesive pack running allowed Amherst to minimize large gaps between scoring positions, a key factor in cross country success.

   
Amherst Individual Results – Paul Short Run, College,  White,  6k

PL	Name	Year	Team	Avg. Mile	Time	Score
3	Hannah Stephenson	SO-2	Amherst	05:32.3	20:38.9	3
18	Flora Biro	SO-2	Amherst	05:47.6	21:36.1	18
89	Audrey Seeger	SO-2	Amherst	06:05.3	22:42.0	88
104	Ava Thomas	SO-2	Amherst	06:07.5	22:50.1	102
150	Dani Perez-Cartaya	SO-2	Amherst	06:12.9	23:10.5	141
191	Maya Levine	SO-2	Amherst	06:17.8	23:28.8	173