West Central Reporter

Leatherneck Cross Country competed at the Joe Piane Invitational in South Bend, Indiana, an event hosted by Notre Dame and named after Western Illinois University alumnus Joe Piane. Piane served as an assistant coach at Western Illinois before a long coaching career at Notre Dame.

In the Women's Gold Race (5K), Lydia Bennett led the team with a time of 18:06.2, setting a personal record by 40 seconds and finishing 23rd overall. Aylana Cezar also achieved a personal best with a time of 18:25.9, improving her previous mark by 16 seconds. Emma-Kate Watt recorded a new personal best of 19:10.2. Aurora Dominguez finished in 19:17.3 and Deana Hudson in 19:08.2, contributing to the team's 12th place finish.

During the Women's Open race, Ava Gorrie (19:48.7), Cassandra Brushaber (20:18.4), and Chloe Amburgey (20:27.8) were among the top performers for Western Illinois. Caley Murphy (21:02.8), Linnea Bloom (21:23.1), and Savannah Schaad (22:46.3) completed the lineup, helping the team secure sixth place in this division.

On the men's side, Robert Perry was the top finisher in the Men's Gold Race (8K) with a time of 24:56.4, placing him within the top 25 runners. Logan Beckmier followed with a time of 25:33.0 for second on the team. Brody Harker posted a personal record of 26:13.5, while Evan Eberhart improved his best by 34 seconds to finish in 26:56.1; Eason Comer finished just behind at 26:56.9 and Richard Brown closed out with a time of 28:40.6.

The men's team placed nineteenth overall, marking one of their stronger performances this season.

"It was a special day of progress for Western Illinois with several season bests, and strong team finishes against a deep regional and national field," according to Leatherneck Cross Country staff in their summary statement from the meet.

The results are expected to set up both teams for their next competition at Bradley.

For more information about Leatherneck Cross Country or updates on future meets, visit GoLeathernecks.com or follow their social media accounts on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.