WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Junior Carly Dion (Biddeford, Maine) finished second among the 266 runners Saturday as the University of Southern Maine women's cross
country won the team title at the 2009 James Earley Invitational hosted by Westfield State College.

Dion was the first USM finisher, covering the 5,000-meter Stanley Park course in a time of 19 minutes, 23.92 seconds.

Southern Maine took the team title among the 25 competing teams with 58  points. Host Westfield State was in the runner-up spot with 88 points. Trinity College (116 points), Roger Williams University (143) and Bridgewater State College (149) round out the top five. Westfield State senior Kerry Arouca was the individual winner with a time of 18:57.49. The vastly improved Huskies have finished first or second in three of four meets this season.

The key to the Huskies' victory was the pack running of freshman Jennie Foley (Bangor, Maine), senior captain Sarah Myrick (Weybridge, Vt./Middlebury Union) and junior Erin Garvey (Haverhill, Mass.) who came across the line in 10th, 11th and 12th place. Freshman Brooke Madden (Dedham, Maine/Brewer) was the fifth scoring runner crossing the line in 24th place overall (23rd in team scoring).

Foley, this week's Little East Conference Rookie of the Week, finished in a time of 20:08.49. Myrick was right behind in 20:11.21, and Garvey was another step back in 20:11.62. Madden closed strong picking off a number of places and tripping the timer in 20:47.36. Juniors Tiffany Binette (Biddeford, Maine) and Alexandra Raynor (Lamoine, Maine/Mount Desert Island) also ran well. Binette was the sixth USM finisher in 44th place (21:19:62) and Raynor was next in 50th place (21:28.86).

The Huskies will travel to Colby College in Waterville, Maine, next Saturday (11 a.m.) to participate in the State of Maine Championship.