UPLAND, Ind. - Grace's cross country program turned in a strong showing at Friday night's Ray Bullock Invitational.

Both the men and women recorded top-four finishes, including a third-place showing by the women and a fourth-place finish by the men.

Grace's women impressed; the top-seven women all placed in the first 25 runners in a tough field.

Cece Mitchell was the team's top finisher; she crossed the finish line in ninth with a time of 22:30.0. Tame Sigler (22:46.7) and Morgan Welch (22:52.3) finished back-to-back in 12th and 13th respectively.

Leah Emch (23:21.8) and Grace Geller (23:23.5) kept a tight pack for 18th and 21st place, and Grace Pettit (23:39.8) and Cassandra Cross (23:40.3) did the same in 24th and 25th.

The women finished behind No. 1-ranked Taylor and was just one second behind No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan. Grace's team time of 1:54.54 topped No. 10 Marian (2:02.51); it was the fourth-fastest team time in school history.

On the men's side, Grace's top-three runners kept a close grouping. Austin Wilson (26:13.5) was 21st overall, quickly followed by Brady Hunsberger in 22nd (26:20.7) and Luis Loera in 24th (26:25.2).

The next three runners for Grace also finished in quick succession, including John Young in 45th place (27:06.1), Aden McCarty in 47th (27:16.4) and Hunter Quadlin in 48th (27:19.3).

Ryan Hoffert rounded out Grace's top-seven performers with a race of 27:37.0.

"The men made some solid strides today despite holding out a number of runners due to minor injuries. Brady, Luis and Austin did a great job leading the men toward the progression we need to hit over the next month," said Grace head coach Brian Dewey.

The Lancers have one race left before kicking off the postseason. On Oct. 25, Grace will race at the Great Lakes Challenge in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Crossroads League Championships are set for Nov. 7 in Marion, Ind.

MEET RESULTS