TERRE HAUTE, IN - The Iona University women's cross country team finished 36th in the team standings among a strong 43-school race field at the Pre-National Invitational, competing in the women's 6k blue race at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course. Sophomore Alex Schulz led the Gaels, placing 129th overall in 21:06.8.
 

IONA PERFORMERS

Schulz paced Iona with her 129th-place finish, followed by junior Kiera Atkinson, who crossed the line in 21:12.4 to place 143rd. Sophomore Sofia Lumbreras finished 168th in 21:20.6, while sophomore Kayleigh Atkinson placed 238th in 21:49.9.
 
Junior Muireann Duffy completed Iona's five scoring positions with a 256th-place finish in 21:56.7. Junior Ruby McPhillips (297th, 22:35.1) and senior McKenna Arguien (300th, 22:37.2) rounded out the Gaels' seven-runner lineup.
 

TOP INDIVIDUALS

NC State's Hannah Gapes won the individual title in 18:57.6, leading the top-ranked Wolfpack to a runner-up team finish. Auburn's Faith Chelangat placed second in 19:15.5, followed by Kentucky's Ann Lemirisho in third at 19:16.8.
 
Clemson's Silvia Jelelgo finished fourth in 19:18.5, while Arizona's Mercy Chepkemoi rounded out the top five in 19:19.1.
 

TEAM SCORES

No. 2 BYU captured the team championship with 84 points, edging No. 1 NC State, which finished with 88. No. 7 Notre Dame placed third with 213 points, followed by No. 23 Clemson (229) and No. 19 North Carolina (249) to complete the top five.
 
Iona recorded 902 points to finish 36th in the 43-team field. The meet featured eight teams ranked in the USTFCCCA Top 30, with No. 30 Duke (260 points) and No. 29 Boston College (341) also finishing among the top eight.
 

Iona Performers

Pl.	Runner	Time
129.)	Alex Schulz	21:06.8
143.)	Kiera Atkinson	21:12.4
168.)	Sofia Lumbreras	21:20.6
238.)	Kayleigh Atkinson	21:49.9
256.)	Muireann Duffy	21:56.7
297.)	Ruby McPhillips	22:35.1
300.)	McKenna Arguien	22:37.2

 

Top 10 Performers

Runner	School	Time
1.)	Hannah Gapes	NC State	18:57.6
2.)	Faith Chelangat	Auburn	19:15.5
3.)	Ann Lemirisho	Kentucky	19:16.8
4.)	Silvia Jelelgo	Clemson	19:18.5
5.)	Mercy Chepkemoi	Arizona	19:19.1
6.)	Katy Zang	Indiana	19:20.7
7.)	Doricah Minsari Isoe	Kentucky	19:28.6
8.)	Bethany Michalak	NC State	19:29.9
9.)	Taylor Rohatinsky	BYU	19:33.1
10.)	Victoria Garces	Duke	19:34.9

 

Team Scores

Pl.	Team	Score
1.)	#2 BYU	84
2.)	#1 NC State	88
3.)	#7 Notre Dame	213
4.)	#23 Clemson	229
5.)	#19 North Carolina	249
6.)	#30 Duke	260
7.)	Indiana	324
8.)	#29 Boston College	341
9.)	Villanova	376
10.)	Kentucky	380
11.)	Vanderbilt	415
12.)	Syracuse	435
13.)	Michigan	440
14.)	Auburn	443
15.)	Wyoming	447
16.)	Connecticut	463
17.)	North Dakota	470
18.)	SMU	474
19.)	Utah Valley	550
20.)	Florida State	551
21.)	Utah State	562
22.)	Lipscomb	584
23.)	Colorado State	598
24.)	Penn	610
25.)	Liberty	620
26.)	Illinois	679
27.)	Arizona	692
28.)	Montana State	748
29.)	Pittsburgh	749
30.)	Kansas	784
31.)	Western Michigan	803
32.)	Ole Miss	819
33.)	Cal Baptist	853
34.)	Portland	859
35.)	Saint Louis	899
36.)	Iona	902
37.)	Indiana State	992
38.)	Loyola Chicago	1021
39.)	Quinnipiac	1049
40.)	Ohio	1078
41.)	Miami Ohio	1109
42.)	South Dakota State	1155
43.)	Dayton	1259

UP NEXT

The Gaels return to competition tomorrow (Oct. 17), at the 2026 ECAC Championship at Bethpage Polo at the Park in Farmingdale, NY.

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