UIS Women's Cross Country took the win at the 11th Annual Prairie Stars Invitational Friday night, led by Josslyn Gaona's first-place finish in 19 minutes and 22 seconds. The Prairie Stars have claimed the team championship and produced the individual champion for three consecutive years.

The Prairie Stars turned in a 28-point total with a 19:57 average time for 5,000 meters. The team's scoring order was 1-2-6-8-11. Missouri Baptist and Heartland rounded out the top three teams.

Following Gaona closely, senior Kaleigh Inniss was in second at 19:33. Two freshmen followed, with Natalie Nichols placing sixth in 20:09, and Alaina Hawker finishing eighth in 20:17. Marissa Roggensack completed the scoring group in 11th at 20:23.

The race marked the team's season opener. The race time was delayed until 6:30 p.m. due to high temperatures, with the heat being a factor in the race.

"I'm super proud of how these women fought today given the tough conditions!" said Head Coach Emmons King. "The home opener is always a fun event and the true start to our cross country season. We saw some amazing performances, from Josslyn Gaona taking the individual win to having three freshmen within our top seven! This is a great start to our season and builds momentum toward our long-term goals."

Illinois Springfield heads to Weibring Golf Course in Normal, Ill., for the Illinois State Redbird Invite on Sept. 18 at 10:30 a.m.