Full Results I Open Race Results

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Participating in one of the longest running cross country meets in the nation, the IUPUI women's squad took 12th of 20 teams in the Gold Race of the Notre Dame Invitational on Friday afternoon at the Notre Dame Golf Course. Grand Valley State dominated the event with a score of 48 while Dayton was second at 104. IUPUI finished at 319, just 41 points shy of 11th place Xavier and 22 in front of Ball State.

"Today was a much better day," IUPUI Head Coach Joni Sanders said. "Hopefully we'll keep that going. Last year we finished 16th and today we were 12th. Plus, we beat Ball State and we beat Valparaiso and both of them beat us a few times last year."

Sophomore Ana Paez was IUPUI's top finisher, taking 24th of 162 runners in a time of 18:29. Her 5K time was just four seconds off her personal best and the tenth fastest race in the program's history. Behind her, junior Brittney McDuffee crossed at 18:50, taking 38th.

"Ana ran a great race," Sanders said. "It was a pretty strong field, but she hung on to the back of the top pack. It was a windy day, so you're not going to get a lot of PRs on a day like this.

"Brittney competed very well. It was a great race for her. She looked like the Brittney we've seen in the past."

Freshman Rachel Zajac enjoyed a bounce back performance, running a season-best 19:18 in the team's final 5K of the season. Fellow freshman Kaci Verkamp and sophomore Leann Fruits rounded out the scoring five in times of 19:52 and 19:53, respectively. The duo picked up the slack for sophomore Allie McGraw, who faltered after a solid opening 3K.

"Rachel had a much, much better race," Sanders said. "And Kaci and Leann really raced well together, especially from the 3K to the fifth K. They really stepped up when we needed them."

Senior Jennie Jamicich was just off their pace, coming in six seconds behind Fruits.

"Jennie was very close to them," Sanders said. "Her training was behind everybody. She's just now where the rest of the team was three weeks ago. She's going to continue to get stronger every time she goes out there."

Oshkosh senior Ayla Mitchell won the race, covering the course in a time of 17:31, beating Grand Valley State's Megan Maceratini by nine seconds for the individual tape.

Sophomore Alex Louden led IUPUI's four entries in the open race, finishing in a time of 20:31. Penn State senior Claire Berryman won that event in a time of 18:04.

IUPUI will now up the ante to a 6K when they run the Indiana State Pre-Nationals Meet in Terre Haute on Oct. 17. That meet will serve as the final tune-up before The Summit League Championships in Cedar City, Utah on Oct. 31.

Team Results
1. Grand Valley State - 48
2. Dayton - 104
3. Calvin College - 119
4. Eastern Michigan - 160
5. Southern Illinois - 164
6. Indiana State - 171
7. Oshkosh - 190
8. Fresno State - 222
9. DePaul - 227
10. Hillsdale College - 251
11. Xavier - 278
12. IUPUI - 319
13. Ball State - 341
14. UW-Stevens Point - 354
15. Saint Louis - 416
16 .Creighton - 430
17. Valparaiso - 502
18. UW-Green Bay - 506
19. Bethel - 559
20. Anderson - 626

Individual Results
24. Ana Paez - 18:29
38. Brittney McDuffee - 18:50
73. Rachel Zajac - 19:18
102. Kaci Verkamp - 19:52
104. Leann Fruits - 19:53
116. Jennie Jamicich - 19:59
134. Michelle Williams - 20:23
135. Rebecca Downs - 20:23
157. Allie McGraw - 21:46

Open Race
36. Alex Louden - 20:31
44. Tiffany Davis - 21:32
50. Krista Beal - 22:07
52. Jordan Warner - 22:21