FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – St. Edward's women's cross country took another step forward in its fall campaign with a solid showing Saturday morning, finishing 20th overall in the Harter's Habanero 5K at the prestigious Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival.

Competing against a field loaded with NCAA Division I programs such as Texas, Arkansas, and Stephen F. Austin, the Hilltoppers held their own with a total team time of 1:34:32.10 and an average of 18:54.42.

Senior MIA RIVERA once again set the pace for St. Edward's, finishing 86th overall in 18:17.7 — pushing near her own program record as she continues a season-long pursuit of breaking the 18-minute barrier in the 5K. Rivera ran a composed, disciplined race, steadily working her way up through the pack after the opening mile and maintaining a strong pace down the final stretch.

While Rivera has been the team's consistent frontrunner, the rest of the Hilltopper lineup continued to close the gap behind her, with several personal bests highlighting the performance.

Senior DELANEY LONG was close behind, clocking 18:18.9 for 89th place to give St. Edward's two runners inside the top 90 and continue her steady progression this season. Fellow senior JENNA SAUNDERS returned to form after working through injury, finishing as the Hilltoppers' third runner in 18:51.7 for 129th.

SAMMY SALAZAR (19:05.2, 145th) and ADRIANA RODRIGUEZ (19:58.6, 207th) rounded out the scoring five, both delivering strong performances to solidify the team's placement in a deep and competitive field.

St. Edward's will look to build on the momentum from Fayetteville as it turns its attention to the DBU Old Glory Gallop before the Lone Star Conference Championships later this month.