WOOSTER, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University women's cross country team opened up the 2018 campaign with five finishes in the top 25 at the unscored Wooster Invitational, hosted by the College of Wooster at the L.C. Boles Memorial Golf Course.

This year's version of the meet had a slightly different look as only two races were run compared to four in years past to go along with a couple of new competitors in NCAA Division II Malone University and Lorain County Community College.

In the women's 4k event, junior All-Ohio Athletic Conference and Academic All-OAC performer Bella Pendola (Warsaw/River View) was the top Division III runner as she placed fifth in a time of 15 minutes, 26.6 seconds. Crossing the finish line three places behind Pendola was sophomore Molina Otte (Omaha, Neb./Millard West) as she ran a career-best time of 15:49.4, improving on her previous career best by almost a minute and a half.

Sophomore All-Great Lakes Region performer Madison Kile (North Canton/Hoover) took 13th place in 15:58.6 while freshman Sophi Perez (Cuyahoga Falls/Stow-Munroe Falls) cracked the Yellow Jackets top five in her first collegiate meet as she ran a time of 16:31.5 to place 18th. Junior Academic All-OAC selection Katie Fowler (Mount Vernon) rounded out the top-five finishes as she ran a career-best time of 17:02.6 to finish in 21st place.

BW will return to the course on Saturday, Sept. 8, to compete in the Tommy Evans Invitational, hosted by the University of Akron at the Silver Creek Metro Park Cross Country Trails in Norton, Ohio, where the Yellow Jackets will race against many of the local Division I teams.