Women’s CC Recap 9

Two experienced runners who have struggled this season rebounded with solid efforts to give the Salukis their first win of the season Saturday at the All Missouri Border’s States Cross Country Championship at Washington University in St. Louis.

Senior Raina Larsen and junior Leah Steele finished 18 seconds behind sophomore Jenny Monaco to pace the Salukis.

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Monaco finished in third place out of 176 runners with a time of 18 minutes and 21 seconds in the 16-team meet. Steele finished in seventh place with a time of 18:39, and Larsen came in eighth place with a time of 18:39. Emily Richard of Washington University won the meet with a time of 17:35.

Freshmen runners Marissa Jelks, who finished in 12th place with a time of 18:44, and Becky Cox, who finished 23 with a time of 19:04, rounded out the top five for the Salukis, giving the team 53 points.

Augustana College followed SIUC with 80 points, and Washington University placed third with 123 points.

The Salukis had two second-place finishes at Carbondale Sept. 6 and Bradley University Sept. 12, and two fourth-place finishes at the Commodore Classic Sept. 20 and at the Oct. 4 Saluki Invitational.

Cox said the conditions at the meet helped boost the team to victory.

It was wonderful to finally win our first meet, Cox said. We pushed each other along, and the nice weather and flat course really helped us out.

Jelks said she attributes her best finish of the year to her continual improvement and tough practices.

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We’ve had good workouts, and I’ve been trying to improve on my finish because I haven’t been very good at that, Jelks said.

The Salukis will be in action Saturday at the Chattanooga Invitational in Chattanooga, Tenn., in their last meet before the Nov. 1 Missouri Valley Conference Championships in Springfield, Mo.