GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Megan Hodges finished fifth to lead the Colorado Mesa University women's cross country team to a second place finish while Chase Brown took 11^th to lead the Maverick men in a third place showing against nationally-ranked and NCAA Division I opposition during the season-opening Gig Leadbetter Maverick Stampede on Friday evening.
 
Hodges finished the 4,000-meter women's race held over two laps of a fast and flat Lincoln Park Golf Course set up in 14 minutes, 17.7 seconds.  Autumn McQuitty also cracked the top-10, finishing tenth in 14:37.5 as the Maverick women recorded a team score of 49 points.
 
Western Colorado University's Allison Beasley won the race in 14:02.0 as the Mountaineers had three of the top four overall finishers, including the top three team-scoring runners to take the team win with a score of 17 points.  The Mountaineers were ranked tenth in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's NCAA Division II Preseason Poll.
 
The 20^th-ranked Mavericks had a team score of 49, finishing ahead of a partial squad from Division I Colorado.  The Buffs, ranked 23^rd in the USTFCCCA's Division I poll, had a team score of 67 points.
 
On the men's side, the 14^th-ranked Buffs had each of the top four finishers to claim a comfortable win with a nearly perfect score of 16 points.  Western, ranked fifth in Division II, took second with 43 while the Mavs took third with 77.
 
Hodges was with the lead pack throughout much of the race before Beasley pulled away for the win ahead of unattached athlete Sophia Christensen.  Western's Peyton Weiss (14:11.7) and Lauren Willson (14:13.6) were the next to cross before Hodges finished.
 
CMU freshman Daisy Lalonde, running unattached finished sixth in 14:20.0.
 
McQuitty was clocked in 14:37.5 while CMU redshirt sophomore Jordan Staniszewski finished right behind in 11^th with a time of 14:39.3.  Shirley Weaver, who finished 16^th overall and 13^th amongst team scorers in 14:48.8 and Kate Linstedt, 18^th overall and 15^th amongst team scorers in 14:48.8 rounded out the Mavs' team score.
 
In the earlier men's 6K race, held over three laps of the same loop, Brown finished in 18:36.2, just missing out on a top-10 finish.  Ryan O'Loughlin placed 19^th overall and 15^th amongst team scorers in 19:18.3 while freshman Dillon Elliott was the Mavs' No. 3 man in 20:00.9 to finish 26^th overall.
 
Jackson Baker (27^th, 20:05.9), Owen Frank (29^th, 20:08.1) and Alex Spink (30^th, 20:11.7) were also inside the top-30 while in a Maverick uniform.
 
CU's Wilson Georges and Lukas Haug crossed the line together in 17:40.0 as Georges was credited with the official win for the Buffs. 
 
The Mavericks will continue their season in 15 days competing in Denver at MSU Denver's Roadrunners Invitational.