CLINTON, Pa. – The Point Park men's and women's cross country teams turned in fourth place finishes at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational on Saturday morning at Youthtowne Fields.
 
In the women's 5k race, Point Park's Cassondra O'Connor finished runner-up with a time of 17:08.00. Glenville State's Natalie Barr edged out O'Connor for the top spot, turning in a time of 17:06.70. Duquesne's Gina Bolla finished in third with a time of 17:15.50.
 
Aubrey Smith also finished in the top 20 for Point Park, finishing with a time of 18:09.00 on Saturday. Lotte Zethof (29^th) and Alana Dyce-Giraud (32^nd) were the next two PPU runners to cross the finish line.
 
Edinboro (54) took first place in the women's team standings, followed by Ashland (86) and Slippery Rock (92) in the top three.
 
Elijah Bechdel paced the men's cross country team on Saturday, finishing 13^th with a time of 25:22.40 in the 8k race. Chase Bowen (25:37.40) and Luke McKenna (25:43.00) also finished in the top 25, finishing in 20^th and 24^th, respectively, for the Pioneers.
 
Ashland ran away with the men's race, placing five runners in the top eight, including gold medalist Nate Slater with a time of 24:24.50. Carnegie Mellon (95) and West Virginia Wesleyan (130) rounded out the top three.
 
Point Park will now have two weeks to prepare for the Mountain East Conference Cross Country Championships, which are slated for Saturday, Oct. 25 at Oglebay Resort and Crispin Golf Course in Wheeling, West Virginia. The women's 6k championship race is slated for 9:30 a.m., followed by the men's 8k race at 10:30 a.m.