West Central Reporter

The Western Illinois cross country team participated in the Summit League Cross Country Championships, marking its first postseason event of the season. The event took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was hosted by Oral Roberts. The women's team achieved a seventh-place finish, while the men's team secured sixth place.

Head coach Trey Brokaw expressed satisfaction with the team's performance, stating, "This was a great step forward for the program today. We finished two spots higher than last year on the men's and women's side." He acknowledged room for improvement but remained optimistic about the future, adding, "We want to be up there competing for a top-3 finish as a team in the near future."

In the men's 8k race, Habibu Moise led Western Illinois by finishing 34th with a time of 26:21.5. Olin Ortiz set a personal record with his 40th-place finish at 26:43.2. Isaiah Moorman also achieved a personal best by placing 55th overall with a time of 29:25.1.

For the women's team, Paulina Wuestefeld led her teammates for the third consecutive race and placed 28th overall with a time of 22:55.7. Freshman Madison Trevena recorded WIU's second-best time and finished 50th at 23:56.1. Maleigha Huston set a new personal record in the 6k event, placing 58th with a time of 24:47.6.

South Dakota State emerged victorious in both men's and women's championships for the second consecutive year.

The Western Illinois cross country team will now prepare for their next postseason challenge at the NCAA Regionals scheduled for November 12 in Iowa City, Iowa.