BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University women's cross country team had an impressive showing at the College of Wooster Invitational with two runners each placing in the top five in the 4k race.

Four races were originally planned for the season-opening meet; however, the women's 5k race was scratched, giving Head Coach Joe Eby approximately 50 minutes to prepare his team for the change. Eleven of the 13 Yellow Jacket women were supposed to run in the 5k but all competed and excelled in the 4k race instead.

Sophomore Bella Pendola (Warsaw/River View) was not fazed by the change of events and ran a career-best 4k time of 15:17.0 which earned her a second place finish, just 0.8 seconds behind the first place finisher from Oberlin. She shaved off over a minute from last year's time of 16:40.1.

Just 20.1 seconds behind her teammate, freshman Madison Kile (North Canton/Hoover) crossed the finish line with a time of 15:37.1 to place fifth in her first collegiate race.

Freshmen Hastings Marek (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial) and Rebecca Penrose (Springfield/Shawnee) were the next two Yellow Jackets to cross the finish line with times of 15:59.3 and 16:03.3 to finish 11th and 12th, respectively.

Eby noted that a majority of the runners improved on their preseason 3k time trials that they ran a few weeks ago.

BW's next meet will be the Ohio Wesleyan Invitational at Liberty Park in Delaware on September 9 at 10:30 a.m.