DALLAS, PA (September 1, 2023) -- Junior Julia Johnson led the way for the King's College women's cross country team in their season opener, posting a new career-best time at the Misericordia Invitational hosted by Misericordia University on Friday afternoon.
 
On the 4,000-meter course at Letterkenny Fields, Johnson posted a time of 16:35.20 which topped her previous best by 23 seconds, as she finished 15^th in the field of 113 runners. Junior Zoe Tomko finished next for the Monarchs, crossing in 17:23.10 to place 28^th overall. Sophomore Cecilia Chipriano was next to complete the course for King's, recording a time of 18:48.40, while first year Mara Ryan made her collegiate debut with a time of 20:28.20.

Lebanon Valley's Lauren Bunke won the individual title in the race, crossing in 15:12.30, while Misericordia's team took the top scoring spot with an average time of 15:48.10 from their scoring runners.
 
King's will be off for the next weekend before returning to Letterkenny Fields on Saturday, September 16 as the compete in the Cougar Invitational. The women's race is set to begin at 10:15 a.m. in Dallas, Pa.