DANVILLE, Ala. – Evelyn Herrera secured a fifth-place finish to lead the Spring Hill College women's cross country team at the Calhoun Warhawk Invitational on Thursday, Oct. 8, at Oakville Indian Mounds Park.

Herrera crossed the finish line in 20:47.8 to pace the Badgers in the 5K race, finishing among the top five in a competitive field. Spring Hill placed sixth out of 11 teams with 136 points and an average time of 23:25.

Kerrigan Klevanosky finished 34th with a time of 23:00.6, followed by Alexa Manuel in 36th at 23:20.8. Jayden Ware crossed the line in 23:23.2 to finish 37th, while Leia Mayeux rounded out the team's top five in 61st with a time of 26:34.6.

The meet provided another opportunity for the Badgers to build momentum as the postseason approaches. With temperatures reaching 89 degrees at race time, the team also navigated challenging conditions while welcoming several runners back from illness.

"This was a great continuation meet for our women's team.. It was a little warm... 89 degrees at race time...which had an impact on the race. We were fortunate to get this meet completed ahead of the nasty weather that will hit our area. We got several people back that have been sick, so that's always a plus. Evelyn had a great day. There were some quality people in the race so her 5th is big! Our main goal was to get solid races from everyone that we can continue to build on them... especially after being sick," head coach Mike McVey said.

Spring Hill will return to action Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Mississippi College Invitational. The 6K race will serve as an important final tuneup as the Badgers continue preparing for the conference championship meet.

"Each day ahead is critical," McVey said.