On their home course for the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Championship, every member of the women's team earned honors and placed second overall.

In the small field of runners and battling injuries, the Cyclones pushed hard for some strong finishes, including a PR.

Annabel Lipkie crossed the line first for the Cyclones and took third place in 24:30.5. "She competed hard right from the start and put herself in a good position. She's been dealing with an injury recently that has limited her training, but she toughed it out and was able to solidify her top-three spot," said Head Coach Dimitri Dimizas.

Coming in behind Lipkie in sixth place was Mariah Karamagianis in 25:29.9. She was one of few people in the women's or men's races to run a PR. "She seemed to be in no man's land out there for much of the race, which can be mentally draining, but it didn't seem to slow her down," Dimizas said.

Lizbeth Juarez-Castillo ran to eighth place in 27:43.9, and Naya Padayao finished in 10th in 29:58.6. "These two have been limited most of the season by their injuries, but they were both determined to get the job done," Dimizas noted. "I applaud their determination and focus to earn All-Conference honors."

All four women earned All-Conference honors for top 10 finishes. Waubonsee Community College took first place overall while Oakton Community College was third and Morton College landed in fourth.

"The goal was to have all four women earn All-Conference honors, and I'm very proud of them for accomplishing that," Dimizas commented. "Our course is not easy, and with such a small field, it's sometimes hard to stay motivated when no one is around you, but our women ran very well."

Next up for the Cyclones is the NJCAA Region 4 Championship on Saturday, Oct. 28, on the Northwestern Medicine Cross Country Course in Batavia. This determines who will compete at the national championship in Alabama next month.