GRAND RAPIDS, MI. - The IU Kokomo women's cross country team competed at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge on Saturday morning, running a hard-fought race in a loaded field that featured 14 nationally ranked top-30 teams.

FAST FACTS- NAIA Great Lakes Challenge

• LOCATION: River Side Park | Grand Rapids, Michigan
• NAIA TOP 25 RANKINGS: IU Kokomo- N/A

THE RUNDOWN

• The Cougars placed 20th out of 24 teams in the Women's 5K Maroon Race with a total team time of 1:38:31. Top-ranked Taylor University claimed the team title with a time of 1:30:21.
• Senior Leslie Sprankles led the way for IU Kokomo, finishing 93rd overall with a time of 19:22.90, marking a personal best and placing her sixth all-time in program history.
• Sophomore Alysha Crouch followed closely behind in 97th place at 19:24.40, a personal best that moves her to seventh all-time.
• Freshman Courtney Adams was next across the line in 109th place with a personal-best 19:31.10, now ranked eighth all-time. Fellow freshman Amber Detmer finished 125th, clocking 19:44.20, another personal best and the ninth all-time mark in school history.
• Freshman Kadence Hoover rounded out the Cougar top five in 149th place with a time of 20:29.00.
• In total, 10 Cougars set personal bests on Saturday:
  • Leslie Sprankles – 19:22.90
  • Alysha Crouch – 19:24.40
  • Courtney Adams – 19:31.10
  • Amber Detmer – 19:44.20
  • Kadence Hoover – 20:29.00
  • Erica Grubbs – 20:34.90
  • Ava Jefferis – 20:39.70
  • Ashley Vasquez-Rivera – 20:57.50
  • Keeley Carpenter – 21:58.90
  • Kaytlin Moeller – 22:22.40
• For full results, click HERE.

INSIDE THE HUDDLE 

• "I am very proud of our women's team.  I lobbied to get them in the Maroon race, which is considered the fast race.  We were the last team in and we ended up beating 4 other teams , which proved that we belong in a race that featured 14 of the top 30 teams in the nation.  We ran our first 5k of the season and our women are now the fastest team in the 5k in school history.  We still have a chance to be a top 30 team if we can run well in conference in a few weeks." - Head Coach Josh Colvin

THE ROAD AHEAD 

• Next Meet: The Cougars return to action on Saturday, November 8th, as all eyes turn toward the River States Conference Championship in Rio Grande, Ohio.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the IU Kokomo Cougars, fans can visit IUKCougars.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Cougar news by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.