The heat and large field didn't keep the Cyclone women from having some of their strongest finishes in the Gil Dodds Invitational in Warrenville on Sept. 15. Three sophomores ran PRs compared to this same race last season.

Collectively the team finished 17th out of 17 teams in their first 6K of the season. The field showcased over 250 runners, much larger than their other meets, requiring additional strategy. Leading the way was Calista Stefaniak, who crossed first for the Cyclones in 133rd place in 25:40. She was followed by Victoria Granz (196th, 27:46), Madison Krisch (205th, 28:08), Carmen Villarreal (228th, 29:25), Lupe Diaz (237th, 30:27) and Natalie Moreno (248th, 31:58).

"I was pleased with how we ran. In terms of executing race plans, the women did a better job this time than last weekend. The sophomores all ran PR's from last year, and that's always great to see. The pack behind Calista did a better job of closing the gap between each other and that's something we're working on every day," said head Coach Dimitri Dimizas.