NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Geneva College women's cross-country team put together an impressive first performance of the year at the Fisher Invite on Friday night, hosted by Westminster College.  The Golden Tornadoes finished second at the meet, behind only Division II Clarion, including finishing ahead of Waynesburg, the reigning four-time PAC Champions.
 
Senior Jessie Taylor (Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin) led Geneva with a fifth-place finish in the 5K race, finishing in a time of 19:45.  Sophomore Jaci Mennetti (Coolspring, Pa./Dubois Area Catholic) put together her best race as a Golden Tornado, finishing 11^th overall in a time of 20:31. 
 
Seniors Katryn Gatchell (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) and Judi McChesney weren't far behind, finishing in 13^th and 14^th place, respectively.  Gatchell finished with a time of 20:44, while McChesney was right behind at 20:46.  Sophomore Catherine O'Donnell (Blairsville, Pa./Homeschool) rounded out the top five runners for Geneva, finishing in 21^st place with a time of 21:05.
 
"The women's team had a great first meet of the season," said Head Coach Phil Thompson.  "I am big on pack running and that's exactly what we did today, and it paid off.  We were missing Abby Laborde today because of an injury, so when she returns that is only going to make us deeper and stronger.  We finished second overall behind a Division II program, so I am very excited about what this team will accomplish this year."
 
The women will be back in action on Saturday, September 18, at the Allegheny Invitational.


Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 145 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. Geneva has one of the top 100 undergraduate engineering programs in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God's Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today's world. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and IACE (International Association for Christian Education).