Women's Cross Country Wins UD Invitational for First Meet Win Since 2021

September 9, 2023

IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas women's cross country team hosted the annual University of Dallas Cross Country Invitational 5k on Saturday.  They took home first place for the first team meet win since the 2021 UD Invitational.

The Crusaders battled heat and a very difficult course, but still took up four of the top six spots on the leaderboard, with Teresa Cashen leading the way in second place with a time of 23:23.5.  Breana Looney wasn't far behind in third place, finishing in 24:18.5.

Giselle Avalos and Madeline Hilker finished fifth and sixth to round out the top finishers for UD.  Melissa Gabino finished just outside the top 10, and Brenda Chicas finished in 17th.  After the meet, all the teams gathered together and observed the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 with a moment of silence followed by a prayer led by graduate assistant Caleb Clayton.

"This was a great low-key meet that boosted the confidence of our athletes.  I wasn't concerned with times in this race because of how tough this course is, it was all about our strategy," said head coach Nick Schneigert.  "We had a strategy, we stuck to it, and those strategies were the reason we were able to win both the men's and women's races.  Now we have to prepare for the big Texas Tech meet next week.  It was a great race for both teams today, and I am very proud of them!"

The Texas Tech Open will take place next Friday, Sept. 15.