COLLEGE STATION, Texas – St. Edward's senior MIA RIVERA opened her final collegiate season with history, setting a new school 5K record to lead the Hilltoppers at the Texas A&M Invitational.

Rivera crossed the line in 18:14.2, trimming 10 seconds off her previous best and surpassing former teammate FAITH BROTHERS' mark of 18:19.4, set at the 2022 Chile Pepper Festival. Her performance earned 26th overall and stood as the top NCAA Division II time at the meet.

"I'm delighted with the way the girls competed. Mia led us today and did very well," head coach Chase Rathke said. "Delaney, Sammy, and Jenna were right behind her. It's just about finding that fifth girl to close the gap and get us where we want to be."

Behind Rivera, senior DELANEY LONG—who led the Hilltoppers a week ago at the UT Tyler Open—finished in 19:03.0 for 62nd place. SAMMY SALAZAR followed closely, clocking a personal-best 19:11.7 for 66th.

In her return from a spring injury, senior JENNA SAUNDERS ran a strong 19:23.3 to place 74th. Sophomore ADRIANA RODRIGUEZ rounded out the scoring lineup with another career-best, stopping the clock at 20:01.1 for 99th.

"I was super excited for my senior year, so I wanted to give it my best," Rivera said. "The goal this year is to break 18 minutes. I got close today, so it's a good start. Seeing the girls improve so much has been awesome. They did a great job of preparing over the summer, and it shows."

The Hilltoppers will have a short break before traveling to Arkansas for the Chile Pepper Festival on Saturday, Oct. 4.