TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Riley Capuano finished in 18th place to earn All-America honors for the second year in a row to lead the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's cross country team to an 11th place finish at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Saturday. 

Capuano, who finished 11th a year ago at the cross country championships, and then earned a second-place finish in the 1500 meters at track and field nationals, ran a 21:28.4 to finish in the top 20. She was in 47th place after the first 1000 meters, but moved up 18 spots before the 3K split and then edged up 11 more over the second half of the race to come in 18th. 

Sadie Drucker was the second Athena to cross the line, finishing in 61st place with 22:04.2. Drucker finished strong, moving up 16 spots over the final 1000 meters to jump from 77th to 61st. 

Angie Gushue ended in 119th place for the Athenas with a 22:28.1, and was followed by Revere Schmidt 3.3 seconds later in 129th place. Olivia Backholm was the final Athena to score, finishing in 23:17.9. 

The Athenas finished fourth a year ago, but graduated national runner-up Natalie Bitetti. In addition junior All-American Elle Marsyla was unable to compete this year due to injury, as was Sara Wexler, who finished fourth for the Athenas at last year's nationals and was a first-team All-SCIAC runner. 

CMS will have a strong returning line-up next year, losing only Gushue out of its top seven, as well as NCAA alternates Amelia Opsahl and Jamie Habib, and four-year runner Olivia Schleifer. With the expected healthy return of Marsyla and Wexler, and Capuano, the Athenas could bid for another top five NCAA finish next fall.