Bethlehem, Pa. – Battling against a highly competitive field, the UMBC women's cross country team finished 32nd out of 37 squads at the 2026 Paul Short Invitational, hosted by Lehigh University on Friday morning.
Senior
Lyna Beraich led the Retrievers, covering the challenging 6K course in 22:13.5 to secure 109
th place out of 316 finishers. Beraich's performance was highlighted by an outstanding surge in the final mile, where she passed 18 competitors with a determined kick to the finish. Senior
Katelyn Deal showed similar grit, using a late burst of energy to climb nine spots in the last stretch, ultimately placing 163rd with a time of 22:43.4.
Junior
Katie Schwaner and standout freshman
Alyssa Mattes also delivered strong efforts, both earning places inside the top-200. Schwaner crossed the line 185th in 22:55.5, while Mattes continued her impressive debut season, advancing 11 places in the last mile to finish 188
th in 22:56.8.
Sophomores
Emily Mitroka (254th, 23:49.0),
Elizabeth Mitroka (23:55.8), and
Maddie Wassin (271st, 24:10.5) rounded out UMBC's scoring pack, pushing through the second half of the race to secure valuable team points.
Liberty won the event with 115 points.
UMBC will compete at the University of Virginia Invitational on Friday, October 16.
