EVANSVILLE, IN – After trekking through the mud and rain at the Angel Mounds course, the UIndy cross country teams both placed third overall at this year's GLVC Cross Country Championships. The women finished the 6K race with a total of 110 points, while the men achieved their highest finish since 2000 with a final score of 98.

The women's team rallied on the back on junior Lauren Bailey, who came in to finish second overall in the entire meet. Her 21:11 time bests her finish last year by about 24 seconds, while also garnering an All-GLVC honor for this season. The sophomore duo of Melissa Spencer (19th; 23:19) and Kelsey Dugger (23rd; 23:29) also finished within the top 25 of the meet to secure points. Dugger's race also bests her GLVC time last season by around 25 seconds. The other Greyhound finishers within the top 50 include Madison Vauters (31st; 23:44), Madelyn Miller (35th; 23:52), Savannah Huben (40th; 24:00) and Maisie Lay (47th; 24:10).

"We all did our part and didn't let the rain and mud overtake us," explains Bailey. "We raced together as a team and had a blast with the rest of our team!"

Chris Switzer led the men for another great finish in the conference, finishing third overall in the 8K. The sophomore passed the finish line on a final time of 25:22, the strong end pushed him five seconds ahead of the fourth place finisher for an All-GLVC honor. The Greyhounds also featured three other runners in the top 25 in the meet, including Nyc Sigmon (20th; 26:18), Will Reid (21st; 26:19) and Jacob Woodrow (24th; 26:20). Sigmon and Reid both jumped up through the ranks compared to last season, 22 and 24 places respectively.

"We wore our flying-I today with pride, proving we're more than just a team who runs," notes Switzer. "We're a crazy family who just had their best finish in almost 20 years!"

The UIndy cross country teams each received post-meet honors as well, one for each. Both Switzer and Vauters were nominated as UIndy's GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship award, as each team picks one student-athlete to be honored for this award.  

"Chris raises his game to a whole new level when it matters most," comments Head Coach Brad Robinson. "Both teams stuck to our race plan of getting out controlled and finishing hard. We had one of the best combined finishes in the conference, and I'm incredibly proud for third on both sides."

UP NEXT
The Greyhound cross country teams will have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Championships series, starting with the NCAA DII Midwest Regional. That meet will commence on November 9, the first race beginning at 11:30 am ET.