At the Augustana Interregional Invitational in Rock Island, Illinois, on Oct. 18, WashU’s No. 12 women’s cross-country team finished in fourth place out of 40 teams, and the No. 20 men’s cross=country team came in 10th out of 36 teams. This meet featured strong performances from the Bears’ first-years, and returning runners had strong performances, just before the team is set to compete in the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships on Nov. 1.

The women’s team competed against 11 nationally-ranked teams and was able to beat out seven of them. The team competed in two races, the top-ranked gold 6000-meter race and then the lower-ranked blue 6000-meter race.

Sophomore Lucinda Laughlin led the Bears in the gold race, finishing in 4th place with a time of 21:47 in the women’s gold 6000m. Senior Jillian Heth also finished in the top 20, placing  18th with a time of 22:11.

“Lucinda [Laughlin] is a true joy,” head coach Jeff Stiles wrote in a statement to Student Life. “She is a fierce competitor and an exceptional teammate. She makes any coach look good. I believe any race with ‘championship’ in the title will bring out her best.”

Afterward, the women competed in the 6000-meter blue race and placed third out of 28 competing teams. Senior Riley Clark finished the race in first place with a time of 22:48. First-years Lucy Peterson and Lucy Johnson finished in 10th and 15th place, respectively, and junior Lily Dipple rounded out the Bears’ top-20 showing in 20th place. To Stiles, the first-years have made an instant impact on the program.

“The freshmen have had a very positive impact on the team in both racing and practice,” Stiles wrote. “They have blended in well and brought a very positive attitude to the team.”

In the top men’s gold 8000-meter race, the Bears finished in 10th place out of 36 teams, competing against 14 of the top 30 teams in D-III. Senior Conor Daly led the Bears, finishing in 35th place with a time of 25:07. The Bears’ top finishers after Daly were sophomore Sean Green and first-year Max Sudrzynski.

In the men’s blue 8000-meter race, WashU finished in third behind Wartburg College and the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. First-year Rishi Shadaksharappa was the Bears’ highest-placing finisher, coming in 8th place with a time of 25:53.

After a strong showing, the Bears showed that they have the ability to compete against top-tier teams. This is crucial before WashU hosts the 2025 UAA championships on Saturday, Nov. 1 at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The men’s 8000-meter race will start at 11 a.m. and the women’s 6000-meter race will start at noon. Three weeks later, national qualifiers will compete in the NCAA championship on Nov. 22. 

“Our goal is to be at our best at the NCAA championship and represent WashU well in the best conference in the NCAA,” Stiles wrote in an email.