COLUMBIA, Mo. --- The Chattanooga women's cross country team took on a deep and competitive field Friday morning at the Pre-National Invitational, hosted at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo.
 
The Mocs placed 38th overall in the team standings, led by senior Maddie Wheatcroft, who edged out her personal best with a time of 20:50.5 over the 6-kilometer course to finish 71st individually. She was followed by Leah Boyd, who crossed the line in 22:06.4, and Liv Gould, who also posted a PR at 22:26.8.
 
Rounding out the scoring five for Chattanooga were Andrea Ellis (22:30.6) and Bella King (23:04.7), helping the Mocs to a team total of 967 points with an average time of 22:11.80.
Also competing for the Mocs were Lola Baker (23:21.0), Michaela Dabney (23:53.6), and Emma Thweatt (24:16.6), gaining valuable experience against a nationally competitive field.
 
The meet featured powerhouse programs including BYU, Villanova, and Missouri, with BYU taking the team title behind a dominant 25-point performance.
 
Chattanooga will return to action November 1^st in Mill Springs, N.C.