The women's cross country team did not have a complete team score at the Midwest Collegiate Open on Saturday, but they did have an absolute team effort.

"It was really nice to have all of our teammates there cheering us on," said senior Leslie Lawton.

Lawton was one of four members of the "B" team to compete in the race, while the rest of the team provided inspiration from the side. Lawton finished first for Marquette and 53rd overall with a time of 19:52. Colleen Kuenster finished 76th (20:16), Anne Halaska placed 112th (20:55) and Beth Pollard finished139th (21:37). Northwestern University won the open with a score of 64.

"I felt pretty strong so it was a good indication that I will be able to push harder in some of the upcoming meets," said Pollard.

Lawton and Halaska both posted better times than they did at the Bradley Open, perhaps due to the cooler temperatures.

"It was a tougher course that the first meet, but the weather was better than at the Bradley Open," said head coach David Uhrich. "It was a little tougher for the girls because there were only four runners, but all of the team was there to cheer."

Marquette heads to Minneapolis Saturday for the Roy Griak Invitational, a race that will include nine of the country's top 30 ranked teams.

This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 20, 2005.