VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Freshman Jennifer Chichester (Silver Spring, Md.) took first place overall in her first meet at Norfolk State, leading the women's cross country team to a second-place finish at the Virginia Wesleyan Marlin College Invitational on Saturday morning at Mt. Trashmore.

Chichester finished the 5k course in 19:08.8, nearly 12 seconds ahead of runner-up Ann Tripp of Mary Washington.

The Spartan women tallied 79 points overall, trailing only Mary Washington (26 points). Sophomore Tia Miles (Richmond, Va.) also recorded a top-10 finish for NSU, placing sixth in 20:29.2. Anastacia Limo (Kapsabet, Kenya) was third for the Spartans, placing 12th overall in 20:38.8.

Senior Rachel Griffin (Newport News, Va.) and Candace Shoates (Newport News, Va.) rounded out NSU's top five, placing 43rd and 79th overall.

The Spartans are back in action next Saturday at the Towson Invitational.