Syracuse, NY – Samantha Smith (Mooers Forks, NY) and Keara Byrne (Queensbury, NY) paced the SUNY Canton women's cross country team to a ninth place finish at the 2014 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) National Championships at the Drumlins Golf Club on Friday.

Both runners finished in the top 50 individually as the Roos finished in ninth place out of the 18 team field, their third consecutive ninth place finish at this event. Smith covered the 6-kilometer course in a time of 26:30 to finish in 40th place, while Byrne was just 13 seconds back in 43rd place.

Patti Carpenter (Penfield, NY) raced to an 81st place finish out of the 178-runner field in a time of 29:17. Meanwhile, Rachel Youngers (Evans, NY) and Kim McCarthy (Ludlow, MA) finished in 90th and 102nd places, respectively. Laura DiFrenza (Salt Point, NY) and Tabitha Taylor (Ticonderoga, NY) recorded times of 30:57 and 31:57 to round out the top seven finishers. Bri Herd (Rochester, NY) also competed for SUNY Canton tallying a time of 36:08.

Overall, the Roos edged nine teams in the race, including fellow NCAA provisional member Alfred State who recorded a 10th place showing with 297 points. SUNY Canton finished with 272 points, while Dine College (37) won the overall team title.