WARRENVILLE, IL – Senior Ella Blau led the University of Rochester women's cross country squad by finishing in 17th place at the University Athletic Association Championships on Saturday at the St. James Farm Forest Preserve.
 
Blau's time for the 6-kilometer course was 21:45.8, placing 17th of 76 runners overall in what is annually one of the top Division III cross country conferences. Five of the eight schools in the event are ranked in the latest Division III cross country poll.
 
Overall as a team, the Yellowjackets finished eighth overall with 194 team points. Top-ranked NYU claimed the team title, with #6 Chicago and #8 WashU rounding out the top-3 schools.
 
Behind Blau, sophomore Sam Mermelstein crossed the tape in 35th place overall, earning a time of 22:19.2 to finish in the top half of the UAA field.
 
First-year Gypsy Wish was next for Rochester, ending 59th with a time of 23:15.3. Two spots later, Adriana Ochoa earned a 61st place finish in 23:25.0. Olivia Nibot was the fifth scorer through the chute for URochester, ending 63rd overall in 23:29.5.
 
The top two Rochester displacers were first-year Maddy Mariani in 67th (23:53.2) and first-year Juliana Raigosa in 70th (24:14.3). Runners Maya Kumar, Emily Dill and Katie Punch were the other 'Jacket finishers on Saturday, crossing in 71st through 73rd place, respectively.
 
Next on the schedule for the Yellowjackets is the NCAA Division III Niagara Regional, taking place in Fredonia, NY on November 14.