BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The IU Indianapolis women's cross country team kicked off the 2025 season on Friday morning (Aug. 29) at the IU Sam Bell Invitational as head coach Antonio McDaniel's team showed a blend of veterans and newcomers in meet number one. 

True freshman Riley Flynn paced the team's 10 entrants by finishing the 4,000m race in a time of 14:57.65 while Hannah Robbins was just off her pace at 15:07.90. Another veteran, Carina Alanis, finished at 15:14.80 while a pair of true freshmen - Emily Bruns and Kaylynn Bedel - rounded out the top five. 

"It was definitely very surreal to run against such talented runners from different schools," Flynn said of her debut after placing 13th overall. "It truly was so awesome to get to run with my team for the first time and I can't wait to see us continue getting stronger this season!"

Indiana's Claire Overfelt took the individual tape at 13:45.21 as Hoosiers accounted for the top seven spots and nine of the top 11 finishes. 

Head coach Antonio McDaniel's team showcased its depth to start the season as Wini Barnett crossed at 15:33.98 and Julynne Spidell finished at 16:09.63. Freshmen Carson Parks (16:13.47), AnnMarie Gibson (16:22.67) and sophomore Julianna Crow (16:47.18) concluded the team entries. 

"It was a solid start for our group this morning," McDaniel said. "I'm really happy with how our freshmen competed in their first meet. It was also an impressive start for Hannah Robbins. 

"She's put in a lot of work this summer and it shows."

The Jaguars will return to action on Sept. 20 when they run The Rumble in the Fort in Fort Wayne, Ind.