MISSOULA, Mont. – Eastern Washington cross country continued its season at the Montana Invite, with the women finishing third with 88 points and the men placing fourth with 117 points.

Sara Sanders led the way for the Eagle women, earning a top-10 finish after crossing the line in 18:40.7. Rhiannon Davies followed in 14th, while Ifechi Okoye placed 21st and Hannah Lee finished 25th. Emma Tomlinson rounded out Eastern's scoring five as the Eagles secured a third-place team finish.

On the men's side, Owen Higgins paced Eastern, crossing the finish line in 25:43.9. Charlie Ledwith was also among the Eagles' top finishers, followed by Trajn Swalstad in 25th, Evan Cheney in 29th and Conner Wirth in 37th to round out Eastern's scoring group.

The Montana Invite provided the Eagles with their first opportunity to compete at altitude since last season's Big Sky Championships, giving Eastern an early test ahead of this year's conference meet in Flagstaff, Arizona.

"Our first meet at altitude since conference last year helped us understand what will be required from us when we go to Flagstaff at the end of next month," Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Erin Tucker said. "It was our second meet of the year and our first meet putting a full race together. We'll definitely get back to the lab and tinker with some things, but all in all, it was a good second effort and we have more to come as the season goes along."

Eastern also had an early opportunity to race against several Big Sky opponents, giving the Eagles a preview of the competition they will see again at the conference championships.

"It was good seeing some conference foes," Tucker added. "We won't be as nice to them next time. Go Eags!"

Eastern will now turn its attention toward its next race as the Eagles continue building toward the Big Sky Championships at the end of October.



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ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.

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