SHELBYVILLE, Ind. — The IU Kokomo women's cross country team turned in a strong performance Friday at the Crimson Pride Invitational, finishing third among five teams in the women's 5K race.
The Cougars totaled 91 points and a combined time of 1:47:26, finishing behind Northern Kentucky, which claimed the team title with 25 points, and fellow River States Conference member IU East, which placed second with 36 points.
Freshman Haley Blackburn led the way for IU Kokomo, earning a sixth-place finish with a personal-best time of 19:35.4. The performance moved Blackburn into ninth on the program's all-time 5K performer list.
Alysha Crouch followed with a 16th-place showing, crossing the finish line in 20:42.8 to give the Cougars two runners among the top 16.
Madi Walkup, Alexis Sibray and Ava Jefferis rounded out IU Kokomo's scoring five, finishing within eight seconds of one another. Walkup placed 22nd in a personal-best 22:19.4, Sibray followed in 23rd with a personal-best 22:20.8, and Jefferis crossed the line in 24th with a time of 22:27.4.
Amber Detmer and Keeley Carpenter completed the Cougars' top seven, finishing 38th and 42nd, respectively.
In total, five Cougars recorded personal-best times Friday, with Kaylee Futrell and Elly Potts joining Blackburn, Walkup and Sibray in setting new career marks.
"I am pleased with our women's team performance," said head coach Josh Colvin. "We ran a 5K instead of the official 6K distance, but we were over a minute faster than our 5K race two weeks ago in terms of total team time and 13 seconds faster on our team average time. Haley Blackburn is running well and is positioning herself to have a shot at nationals. We run a 6K in two weeks, and I am excited to see how they respond."
Women's Team Results
1. Northern Kentucky – 25 points
2. IU East – 36 points
3. IU Kokomo – 91 points
4. Hanover – 105 points
5. IU Columbus – 131 points
IU Kokomo Individual Results (5K)
6th – Haley Blackburn: 19:35.4 (PR)
16th – Alysha Crouch: 20:42.8
33rd – Madi Walkup: 22:19.4 (PR)
35th – Alexis Sibray: 22:20.8 (PR)
36th – Ava Jefferis: 22:27.4
38th – Amber Detmer: 22:37.2
42nd – Keeley Carpenter: 22:58.7
43rd – Kaylee Futrell: 23:02.5 (PR)
44th – Kaytlin Moeller: 23:20.4
46th – Elly Potts: 24:17.1 (PR)
48th – Erica Grubbs: 24:55.6
The Cougars will return to action Friday night, Oct. 2, at the Nike XC Town Twilight Invitational, held at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.
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, X and Instagram.
