The Hillsdale College women's cross country team took another step in its preparation for critical end of season championship meets on Saturday, placing sixth at the Lucian Rosa Invite in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The meet takes place on the course that will be used at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional in November, giving the Chargers valuable experience for that all-important meet down the road.
Hillsdale put three runners in the top 30 in Saturday's race, putting together a solid showing. Junior Meg Scheske took 22nd to lead the Chargers in the 6K race, finishing in 22:38.28, and teammates Gwynne Riley and Liz Wamsley were close behind. Riley took 25th in 22:44.25 for Hillsdale, and Wamsley placed 26th in 22:44.76 as well.
Junior Natalie Martinson finished 41st for Hillsdale, in 23:16.86, and sophomore Kayla Loescher rounded out Hillsdale's scoring runners in 52nd, in a time of 23:35.37. Vera Thompson took 59th (23:45.75), Katie Edison took 81st (24:30.66) and Brynn Edison took 85th (24:45.48) as well for the Chargers.
Hillsdale has one more tune-up meet on the calendar, the EMU Fall Classic in Dexter, Michigan on Oct. 22, but the focus for the Chargers now is very much on Nov. 5 and the G-MAC Championships hosted by Findlay on that day. While defending champion Cedarville is the favorite, the Chargers will be a top contender for the team title as well along with Walsh, and will be looking to make whatever improvements they can between now and then to give themselves the best finish possible.