Weber State University’s women’s cross country had their second race of the season in Missoula, Montana, at the University of Montana Invitational on Sept. 15. With 13 teams battling against each other, the Wildcats were able to place second with a score of 61 points.

The 13 universities that competed were Weber State, Montana State University, Colorado State University Pueblo, Eastern Washington University, University of Montana, Carroll College, Rocky Mountain University, Clark College, Montana State University Billings, Dawson Community College, University of Montana Western, Montana State University–Northern and the University of Providence.

“The women did a great job in this race,” assistant coach Lindsey Anderson said. “They were further along in training than we were two weeks ago, and they were excited to go out and be competitive with the other athletes/teams who were racing. They ran smart and executed the plan well. Everyone walked away excited for more to come.”

The Wildcats had five runners in the top 25 and had all 10 runners placed in the top 36. Bailey Winter placed third overall with a time of 17:45.38, and Laurie Murphy followed shortly after placing fourth with a time of 17:49.53. Hailey Low finished 13th at 18:16:45, Saga Hagelin finished 23rd at 18:25.35 and Frances Hudson finished 25th at 18:31.06.

“Coming into my final year, I have had a lot of mixed emotions, but more than anything I just want to make the most of it,” Winter said. “I want to be able to finish the season feeling like I gave it my all. My motto for this year is ‘run with your heart.’ Mainly because running is so mental and a lot of times my mind takes charge, and I want to truly focus on ignoring those thoughts and running with my heart.”

Starting this season, Anderson is back as an assistant coach for men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams. She is a former Weber State athlete and the first student-athlete at Weber State to qualify for the Summer Olympics.

“I’m very excited to be back at Weber,” Anderson said. “I’ve loved being back, working with Coach Pilkington again, and getting to know the athletes. It’s a fun group. I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that you must put in a lot of hard work and be consistent for a long time in order to be successful at this sport. You have to fall in love with the effort you put in.”

The Wildcats have three more meets before the Big Sky Championships. Their next race will be at the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Indiana, on Sept. 29.