MONTREAL -- Elizabeth Hirsch of Melrose, Mass., posted a gold-medal finish, leading the McGill University Martlets to capture their own meet title at the McGill Open as the RSEQ cross-country season opened Friday on the slopes of Mt. Royal.

The women's team victory marked the fourth consecutive year that the Martlets have won their home meet and their ninth McGill Open title in 27 years. McGill scored 23 points to finish first of nine universities atop the podium, posting runners in first, second, fifth, seventh and eighth. They were followed in the team scoring by the Montreal Carabins (68), UQTR (96), Laval (107), Sherbrooke (111), Ottawa (151), UQAM (174), Concordia (224), and UQAC (241).

Hirsch, a 21-year-old biology senior, finished first of 86 entries in the four-kilometre race in 14 minutes, 30 seconds. The 5-foot-7 distance specialist was 18 seconds ahead of teammate Chloe Fleurent-Gregoire (2nd, 14:48),  a dietetics senior from Laval, Que., and Elodie De Coene (3rd, 14:49) of the Montreal Carabins.

Other scorers for the meet-winning Martlets included junior Sandrine Veillette (5th, 14:53) of Quebec City, sophomore Mary Hnatyshyn (7th, 15:03) of Calgary and Brianna Mendes (8th, 15:16), a management junior from Devonshire, in Bermuda.

On the men's side, Laval took the team title, finishing first of eight schools in the scoring with 51 points, placing runners in third, sixth, seventh, 15th and 20th. They just edged out Ottawa by point (52) and were followed by Sherbrooke (72), Montreal (84), McGill (92), UQAM (175), Concordia (200) and UQAC (229).

Pierre-Lou Billerot of École de technologie supérieure (ETS), completed the six-kilometre circuit in 19:14, placing first of 101 competitors in a photo finish, fractions of a second ahead of Sherbrooke's Thomas Windisch (19:45). The bronze-medal went to Andre Alie-Lamarche of the Ottawa Gee-Gees (18:25).

Leading the way for McGill was Henry Wellenstein, a 5-foot-9, 150-pound Arts & Science freshman from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, who finished fifth in 19:56.

Other McGill men in the scoring were Giftseph Marshall-Burghardt (16th, 20:29), senior Simon Bernier (18th, 20:39) of Chambly, Que., freshman Noah El Rimawi-Fine (21st, 20:51) of Keene Valley, N.Y., and Montrealer Olivier Cyr (32nd, 21:17), a second-year transfer from the Montreal Carabins.

McGill's next meet is at the Sherbrooke Invitational on Sept. 28.

LINK TO COMPLETE RESULTS CAN BE FOUND IN SCHEDULE & RESULTS