TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The University of Dayton women's cross country took home fifth place in the John McNichols Invitational on Saturday morning. Abby Carter and Zoe Chappelle were the Flyers' top-two finishers as they placed in ninth and 34th place, respectively. The Flyers also showcased several improvements as four out of the 11 runners earned PRs.

Carter finished in ninth with a time of 17:44.3 after coming in second place in her season debut two weeks ago. Chappelle earned 34th with a 18:25.5 finish, and Justine Smith followed in 38th place with a PR time of 18:30.3. Smith was one of four Flyers to earn PRs at Indiana State. Among the others were freshmen Olivia Kindbom (18:47.6) and Anna Newkirk (19:14.0). Most notably, Sammie Wells set a 5K PR of 20:08.4, which is a 61-second improvement over her season debut 5K race at Wright State.

Head Coach David Dobson said "This course and competition was a step up from a couple weeks ago. I feel that overall the women competed well and our pack time fell into a better range."

Women's cross country will be back in action on Saturday, September 30 when they compete in the Live in Lou at the University of Louisville.