Canisius College junior Maura Frauenhofer placed fourth and sophomore teammate Christine Mulvihill took fifth as the women's cross country team finished third overall at the 2009 MAAC Cross Country Championship Friday afternoon at Van Cortland Park in Bronx, N.Y. The Golden Griffins placed four runners among the top-20 finishers in the women's race to finish with 65 points.

In the men's race Canisius senior Vasilis Kariolis took 19th overall with a time of 27:18, pacing the 8k at 5:27 per mile. The men's team registered 168-team points and took seventh overall.

For the women, Frauenhofer paced 6:22 per mile in the 6k race, finishing in 23:34. Mulvihill followed directly behind, pacing 6:24 per mile and finishing in 23:42. Senior Jessica Nowak crossed the line in 15th place with her time of 24:30, while fellow seniors Samantha Garnet (24:44) and Ellen Duane (24:50) finished 19th and 23rd overall in the field. 

The women's third-place finish in this year's event marks the team's best MAAC Championship performance since 1997, and it also marked the first time since 1997 that two Canisius runners have placed among the top-10 as well.

On the men's side,  sophomore Jonathan McDonald took 28th place with his time of 27:51. Fellow sophomore Mark Kearney crossed the line in 28:27 to place 38th overall and sophomore Davidlee Klimchuk took 40th place with his time of 28:28.

Both the men and women's squads defeated Niagara in the their respective races, giving Canisius a total of four points in the Battle of the Bridge competition.

Both teams will return to action Saturday, Nov. 14 when the Griffs race at the NCAA Northeast Regionals in Boston, Mass.