BALTIMORE, Md. – The Franklin & Marshall women's cross country team finished sixth at the 2021 Centennial Conference Championships hosted by Johns Hopkins on Saturday. The Diplomats scored 151 points and were just edged out by Ursinus for a fifth-place finish.

Senior Lexi Salerno was once again leading the Diplomats' pack as she crossed the line with a time of 24:05.7 to finish 21st in the field. That marked a nearly 20-spot improvement from her previous best at the conference championship. Elizabeth O'Connell also ranked among the top 30 finishers as she placed 26th in 24:32.2. That was a 25-spot improvement from her previous best finish at the conference meet.

It was the senior class that continued to come to the line as Laura Greene (25:27.1) and June Sanchez (25:29.9) were next in for the Diplomats. They came through in a tight group that also featured Alysse Danyi (25:38.1), Sydney Dzenutis (25:40.2) and Freya Lindvall (25:47.2). Emma Kline (25:54.2) and Kate Henderson (26:32.5) rounded out the nine-member team.

As a team, Franklin & Marshall finished with the second-smallest spread in the field, with just 1:32 separating the top five runners. Despite finishing sixth in the final team standings, F&M did have a slightly faster average time than the Bears' team which was two points better on Saturday.

Women's cross country will continue its postseason in two weeks when the Diplomats travel to Newville, Pa. for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship. With a new 10-region format this year, the winning team from that region will advance to the NCAA Championship in addition to any at-large selections. The top seven runners on non-advancing teams will also compete at the NCAA Championships which are set for Saturday, November 20 in Louisville, Ky.