Muskegon, MI - The women's cross country team ran with heart and determination this past weekend at the Jayhawk Invitational, hosted by Muskegon Community College. Each member of the team that competed posted personal records over the 5k course, while the school record was claimed by Lily Lemanski.

Lemanski led the Skippers from the gun to place 40th overall in a field of 156 runners. Lemanski's time of 19:40.0 broke the school record by 11 seconds, making her the fastest Skipper in school history. Jenna Denver was the second Skipper to cross the line, setting her personal record in a time of 20:28. Denver's time is 52 seconds faster than her previous record, which she set 2 years ago in high school. This ranks Denver 6th on the Skippers Top Ten List. Finishing not far behind was sophomore and team captain, Olivia Crawford. Crawford ran a personal record in a time of 20:50, knocking 43 seconds off her previous best. This ranks Crawford 9th on the Skippers Top Ten List. Laela Bhatti rounded out the team's performances finishing in a time of 21:43, setting yet another personal record on the team, besting her previous record by 11 seconds.

Olivia's Take:

"I think we ran really well. We've all been working really hard and it definitely showed. It was definitely a surprise to get a PR on that course because of the hills. However, I was really determined to go hard on this course and give everything I had. I am very proud of the team and myself for how well we did."

The Skippers are taking the next week off from racing to gear up for the NJCAA Region XII/MCCAA Championship on Friday, October 25th. The meet is hosted by St. Clair County Community College and is located at Goodells County Park. The women compete at 1:00pm.