ELON, N.C. — The High Point University women's cross country team opened up the season with a sixth-place finish at the "Friday Night Lights" Elon Cross Country Opener. The Panthers were led by Ruth Metaferia who finished 15th, out of 146, with a 4k time of 14:46.2.

Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Remy Tamer: "We raced an all freshmen team this evening and I was pleased with some of the things we saw. Like the men, we measured the women's success on how they fought, how they competed and what kind of fight they're bringing to the table. Coach Akagi-Koons and I are pleased to see there are some fighters in this freshman class. Ruth Metaferia and Maggie Whitham got out with intention and put themselves into the mix. Over the next few weeks they will sharpen themselves to be dangerous. Tonight was a good starting point. Ava Shook and Lauren Hagg also showed us that they can help this team be great this season. If these freshmen make the choice, they can be powerful. Excited to see what they do."

With a time of 15:24.5, Ava Shook was the second Panther to cross the finish line, followed closely by Maggie Whitham with a time of 15:28.4. Lauren Hagg clocked a 15:40.9 and Isabella Gentille finished in 16:52.4. All participating runners for HPU made their college debut for the Panthers Friday evening. 

A first-year freshman, Metaferia, led the Panthers in the season's opening meet. She was a crucial runner for HPU leading the team from start to finish. With this being her first collegiate race she showed grit and as stated by Tamer,  "they can be powerful" leaving room to improve and grow each race moving forward. 

Brianna Malone, Danielle Jensen, Tiffany Miller, Elizabeth Ritter, Hayden Robinson, and Cailyn Stine did not run for the Panthers on Friday night.

UP NEXT: The Panthers head to Raleigh, N.C., on Friday, September 18th for the Adidas XC Challenge hosted by N.C. State University.