The UIS women's cross country team placed ninth Friday at the Bradley Intercollegiate, held at Detweiller Park.

Meet Recap
UIS fielded a partial squad but competed strongly against a competitive mix of NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and NAIA programs. The Prairie Stars finished behind eight teams, including GLVC rivals Maryville and Truman State, but ahead of Quincy, Missouri-St. Louis, and McKendree, showcasing depth and potential in their young group.

Lauren McBride led UIS with a 57th-place finish in 19 minutes, 2 seconds, while Allison Thompson followed in 59th at 19:08. Freshman Mackenzie Billard ran 19:50 to finish 80th, and Olivia Thomsen finished 86th in 19:57. Audrey Wagoner (89th, 20:06) completed the team's scoring five, with Ava Allison contributing 115th in 21:01. The top five averaged 19:36, with a spread of 64 seconds.

Up Next
The Prairie Stars will return to action Saturday, Sept. 27, at Wisconsin-Parkside's Lucian Rosa Invitational. The team's first 6K race of the season will be held at Parkside's Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course, the site of this fall's NCAA Division II Regional.