CLINTON, Pa. – The IUP women's cross country team returned to action Saturday at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational, placing 20th in a deep field behind a tightly packed group of Crimson Hawk finishers.

Freshman Cora Drylie led the way for IUP, crossing the finish line in 20:57.2 to place 115th overall. Drylie was the first of five IUP scoring runners to finish within a span of just 26.4 seconds.

Sophomore Natalie Romanyak was next across the line for the Crimson Hawks, finishing 119th overall with a time of 21:07.3. Romanyak crossed just over 10 seconds behind Drylie as IUP began to build its scoring pack.

The Crimson Hawks continued to come across the finish line in quick succession, with sophomore Lexis Owens recording a time of 21:12.7 to finish 122nd overall. Freshman Jenaya Swinger followed less than three seconds later, placing 123rd with a time of 21:15.2.

Sophomore Hailey Hirtz completed IUP's scoring five, finishing 125th overall in 21:23.6. The performances from Drylie, Romanyak, Owens, Swinger and Hirtz gave the Crimson Hawks 604 team points.

IUP's five scoring runners combined for a time of 1:45:56.0 and averaged 21:11.2. The Crimson Hawks' top five were separated by only 26.4 seconds, with three IUP runners finishing within 10 places of one another.

Freshman Eve Horvath was the sixth Crimson Hawk across the line, finishing 143rd overall in 22:11.2. Senior Gabbi Lachimia followed closely behind in 144th with a time of 22:21.9.

Sophomore Laurel Bean rounded out the eight-runner IUP lineup, completing the race in 22:45.3.

The Carnegie Mellon Invitational continued IUP's progression through the fall schedule after competing at the Lock Haven Invitational on Sept. 26. Saturday's race provided another opportunity for the Crimson Hawks to compete in a large field as the team moves deeper into the championship portion of its schedule.