SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Led by freshman Olivia Evans' first-place finish, the Anderson women's cross country team finished in first place at the USC Upstate Invitational, Saturday morning at the Milliken Research Center.
The Trojans placed five runners in the top-10 and finished first among non-NCAA Division I team a year ago, but topped that stellar outing by claiming the first eight spots and 12 of the top 14 slots over the 5K distance on Saturday.
Evans (18:23.7) slashed nearly 47 seconds off her previous season-best to finish first, while junior Allyson Malone notched a season best by crossing the line in second place in a time of 18:43.5. Junior Martha Coleman (19:39.2) was 14 seconds faster than last year and claimed third place, with senior Alex Dixon (19:41.4) finishing just two seconds off last year's pace in fourth place.
Freshman Hannah Beach (19:53.7) posted a new season-best time and crossed the line in fifth place, while senior Hannah Sanford (19:56.8) was 38 seconds faster than her previous season-best effort. Freshman Lydia Gambrell (20:19.1) trimmed 12 seconds off her previous collegiate best time and finished seventh, with freshman Olivia Rish also notching a season-best time of 20:25.2 and placing eighth.
Junior Maddie Buddenberg was 17 seconds faster than her previous season best by crossing the finish line in 10th place in a time of 20:40.9. Freshman Katherine Lewis (21:25.3) slashed nearly two minutes off her previous career-best time and claimed 11th place, with sophomore Emily Olson posting a career-best time of 21:48.8 and finishing 12th. Senior Emily Pitts also posted a personal-best time of 22:10.1 en route to finishing 14th.
Anderson is slated to get back in action at next Saturday's Piedmont College Invitational in Tallulah Falls, Ga.
