Mt. Olive, N.C. - Wesleyan's cross country team opened its 2015 season on Saturday with a 5K dual at the University of Mt. Olive. As a team, NCWC shaved six minutes off of last fall's time on the same course.

Wesleyan was paced by freshman Sarah Grossman, who posted a team-best time of 24:47 in her collegiate debut... just 27 seconds shy of the program record for a dual 5K. Grossman finished 12th among 19 runners, beating out a pair of Trojans in the process.

Sophomore Florencia Sorrentino also made her cross country debut, finishing second among Wesleyan runners and 14th overall with a time of 27:02. Additionally, Ana Diaz cracked the 30-minute mark at 29:09, while Hannah Ivester (30:40), Jasmine Edgren (30:59) and Leigh Hales (34:30) rounded out NCWC's scoring.

UMO's Kelsey Valentine took top honors, crossing the finish line in 20:14.

The Bishops will now have three weeks of training to prepare for the Greensboro Cross Country Invitational held at Hagan Stone Park on September 26th. The 5K meet is slated to begin at 1:00pm.