LEBANON, Pa. - Kiehl Smith's young Women's Cross Country squad had a solid debut in its opening race at the Dutchmen Invitational on Saturday. The Eagles finished in sixth out of 18 scoring teams with a 179, beating regional and MAC rivals Arcadia, Muhlenberg, and Ursinus in the process.

First-year Ashley Bitler paced the Eagles in her first collegiate race. The Middletown, Del. Native placed 21st with a time of 19:37 and averaged 3:55 per kilometer. Sophomore Julia Wade was second on the Eagles, finishing in 20:29, while fellow sophomore Tierra Hill crossed the finish line in 20:41.

Fielding a squad of entirely first-years and sophomores, Smith was pleased with how his young group performed against strong competition across the NCAA.

"Our ladies showed a lot of growth and competed really well as a team," Smith said. "Some good packs are starting to form on our squad which is helping us take a step up as a team. This is about as good of a start to the season that we could hope for, given the youth on our team."

Eastern will be back in action in two weeks for the Aggie Open.