UIS women's cross country placed fifth at the Redbird Invite at Illinois State on Friday, competing in a five-team field made up entirely of Division I opponents. 
UIS finished with 133 points, with host Illinois State winning the team title with 23 points, followed by Iowa (45), Northern Illinois (64) and Eastern Illinois (116).

Josslyn Gaona led UIS, placing 20th overall with a time of 22:59, while Kaleigh Inniss followed closely behind in 21st at 23:27. The two UIS runners were firmly in the mix with the top finishers from Eastern Illinois and scoring runners from Northern Illinois.

Marissa Roggensack finished 28th in 23:42, while Mackenzie Billard placed 32nd at 24:10. Elly Heineke rounded out the UIS scoring five, finishing 34th in 24:39.

UIS had a five-runner spread of 1:40, while the team's top six runners averaged 23:48 in the first 6K race of the season.

Just behind the scoring five, Olivia Thomsen finished 36th in 24:52, followed by Allison Thompson in 38th at 25:05. Lacey Updike placed 39th in 25:28, with Kali Gaden finishing 40th in 25:32.

Olivia Ruiz crossed in 41st at 25:39, followed by Lauren McBride in 42nd at 25:48. Audrey Wagoner rounded out the UIS lineup, placing 44th in 26:38.

"I'm super pleased with the way the women fought today, and we saw some positive results on a tough course that are going to set us up well for the rest of the season!" shared head coach Emmons King. "Now we have two full weeks of training before the Lewis Crossover to address any weaknesses."

UIS women's cross country returns to action on Oct. 10 at the Lewis Crossover in Romeoville, Ill.