Full Results (.pdf)

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The IUPUI women's cross country team got a first-hand look at some of the nation's elite on Saturday (Sept. 21) and finished 11th of 21 teams competing at the John McNichols Invitational, hosted by Indiana State at the acclaimed LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. 

Senior Katelyn Murphy led the undermanned Jaguars with a 55th place finish in a time of 18:11.7 and junior Janine Orvis was 79th at 18:35.4 Head coach Antonio McDaniel's team was without sophomore standout Morgan Fleming, who's dealing with an injury, but is expecting to return soon. 

"Today was our first race that would be comparable to regionals, which is a lot different than what we have been used to racing in, so we had to be more strategic about racing today. Tony made it clear how important it was to get out fast once the gun went off because if not, we'd get stuck behind hundreds of runners. Once I got settled into the race, I made sure I had Katelyn in my sights the whole time," Orvis said. "I've been working on staying closer to Katelyn and Morgan during races so that we can close our top-3 gap and improve as a team. 

"That's what I did today. Going into the race, my goal was to get into position right away, run fast and hold on to Katelyn and it worked out successfully. I'm also super proud of our freshmen and Alex for stepping up today since we were missing Morgan."

Without Fleming, IUPUI got strong performances from freshmen Claire Mehling (19:15.9) and Ashton Chase (19:42.2) and sophomore Alexandra Schwartz (19:50.6). Mehling shed five seconds off her previous best time in just her third collegiate race. Freshman Kara Krol just missed a spot among the scoring five in a time of 19:52.5, just behind Schwartz. Another freshman, Sydney Welch, rounded out the top seven with a time of 20:26.2. 

Arkansas topped the team standings with 49 points, edging Stanford (54) and Washington (66) for the team title. This year's event attracted some of the nation's top teams, who wanted to get a preview of the future NCAA Championship site. Arkansas's Taylor Werner took the individual tape in a time of 16:24.6, clearing Stanford's Fiona O'Keefe by nearly 10 seconds. 

The Jaguars will return to action on Oct. 4 when they compete in the Joe Piane Invitational, hosted by Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.

Team Standings
1. Arkansas - 49
2. Stanford - 54
3. Washington - 66
4. Michigan - 75
5. Northern Arizona - 112
6. Illinois - 126
7. Purdue - 214
8. Eastern Illinois - 299
9. Indiana State - 300
10. Central Arkansas - 317
11. IUPUI - 327
12. Indiana Wesleyan - 373
13. North Alabama - 382
14. Valparaiso - 431
15. Hanover - 463
16. DePauw - 463
17. Rose-Hulman - 546
18. Franklin - 607
19. Transylvania - 634
20. Stephens - 663
21. Oakland City - 680

Individual Results
55. Katelyn Murphy - 18:11.7
79. Janine Orvis - 18:35.4
103. Claire Mehling - 19:15.9
121. Ashton Chase - 19:42.2
125. Alexandra Schwartz - 19:50.6
127. Kara Krol - 19:52.5
149. Sydney Welch - 20:26.2
153. Jean Carson - 20:37.6
163. Paige Boatright - 21:04.1
169. Rebecca Orvis - 21:13.5