PEORIA, Ill. -- The Western Michigan cross country team closed out regular season action with a strong showing at the Bradley Pink Classic this afternoon. The Brown and Gold finished seventh as a team, with all five runners in the scoring lineup claiming top-70 times. 

The Broncos were spearheaded by Lily Overton, who collected her third top-10 finish of the season. Overton was able to cross the finish line in ninth place with a PR 6K time of 20:51.88. This is the fourth consecutive meet with a PR time for Overton. 

Kaelin Hughes was the next Bronco to finish, as she collected 41st place with a PR time of 21:30.33. Next up was Madison Zarembski, who notched 59th place with a time of 21:43.12. That mark was more than a minute faster than her previous best 6K time. 

Lara Machado Pereira was the fourth WMU runner to cross the finish line, posting a time of 21:52.02. That earned her 66th place. Rounding out the scoring lineup was Ava Kurczewski, who nabbed 68th place. She was also able to grab a PR, finishing in a time of 21:52.44. 

Larissa McGrath (22:05.02), Rebekah Asselin (22:34.42) and Lily Baibak (23:07.02) also joined the fun, earning PR's in the race. Emma Henkel made her 6K debut, collecting a time of 22:39.20. 

FROM KEVIN CATALDO
"I'm pleased with the way we competed today. Last time we were at this meet we placed 18th so to be 11 spots higher is a great sign. Lil ran incredible with a top-10 finish and a massive PR. Kaelin had an incredible day and put herself out there in a large field, which was exciting to see from a freshman. I thought Maddie, Lara, Ava all did a great job late in the race and closed the gap well. Larissa was back a bit the first 2k but was able to close the gap and move by a good amount of people. I could go on and on, but the fact that we continue to have our top eight be interchangeable is excellent. We preach to the team that you aren't out there alone and to trust one another and we have done just that. I'm very happy with the results, especially considering we have yet to back off any training and have raced on tired legs. From here, we will work on the final touches before we compete at the MAC Championships."

UP NEXT
Western Michigan will head to the MAC Championships on Nov. 1. Buffalo will host the championship meet at the Audubon Golf Course.