JOHNSON, Vt. - Johnson State College women's cross country will compete this Saturday at the 2012 North Atlantic Conference Cross Country Championship hosted by New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire.  The 5K race will start at 12:00 pm.

Led by first-year head coach Shawn Woods the Badgers will look to improve on last season's ninth place team finish at Lyndon State College.

The Badgers ran at New England College in the season's first race where JSC finished in seventh place out of 11 participating teams.

Sophomore Jill Porter (Springvale, Maine/Sanford) has been the Badgers top finisher in every race this season.  Porter finished in 15th place out of 96 runners at the season-opening Mayflower Kick-Off at NEC.  Her top finish of the season came in her last race at the GMC Invitational where she finished in ninth place.  Porter was unable to participate 2011 NAC Championship race.

Johnson will have an experienced championship participant in junior Anna Allen (Shelburne, Vt./CVU) but will need strong performances from five newcomers in sophomores Jackie Caron (Grand Isle, Vt./Essex) and Shelby DavisLane (Dummerston, Vt./Brattleboro) and freshmen Amanda Bortlein (Ludlow, Vt./Black River), Dallas Deblois (Readsboro, Vt./McCann Tech), and Bria Wolters (Barre, Vt./Spaulding).

Husson University will look to defend their 2011 Championship where Colby-Sawyer College earned a second place team finish.

North Atlantic Conference women's cross country participants include Johnson State, Castleton State, Colby-Sawyer, Green Mountain, Husson, Lyndon State, Maine-Farmington, Maine Maritime, New England College, and Thomas.