EMPORIA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State University women’s cross country team picked up its second-consecutive victory Friday evening (Sept. 23) at Emporia State’s Papa John’s Invitational. The Tigers occupied three of the top five spots to secure the win, tallying 23 team points. Friday marked the inaugural collegiate competition on the new course navigating the Emporia Municipal Golf Course.
Junior Shea Bonine secured her first collegiate victory after traversing the five-kilometer course in a personal-best 18:29.36. Sophomore Sophie Dalmasso crossed the line in third just over 10 seconds later (18:39.39) with Chelsea Jackson placing fifth 18:47.29. Senior Micki Krzesinski crossed the line in seventh with a time of 18:52.29 while Yessenia Gonzales rounded out the scoring with a 12th-place finish, running in 19:54.44.
The Tigers finished first out of 13 teams, totaling 57 points fewer than second-place Benedictine. 125 runners took to the course, with 10 of the 11 Tiger runners finishing in the top 40.
The Tigers will return home for their final regular season meet in two weeks when they host the Tiger Open on Saturday, October 8 starting at 8:45 a.m. at the Sand Plum Nature Trail outside Victoria, Kan.