SPARTANBURG, S.C. – A historic season came to a close for the #8 Trine University women's cross country team on Saturday at Milliken Arboretum. The Thunder placed ninth at the NCAA Championships to secure the highest finish at a national meet in program history. Sidney Swick led the way in her final cross country race with a 48^th place showing.
 
The Thunder's ninth place finish tops last year's 28^th place showing as the best in program history. Additionally, their finish is now the highest finish by any Trine cross country team, best the 1977 men's team's 10^th place finish. The meet comes one week after the Thunder claimed the program's first NCAA Regional Championship and three weeks after they won the program's first conference title.
 
Trine battled back from a tough start that saw them in 23^rd place after 1,000 meters. The Thunder began picking off runners as they headed to the 2k mark. By then they were up to 15^th place, dropping 129 points from their score, collectively Trine's seven runners passed 179 competitors. At the halfway mark Trine had moved to 11^th place, dropping another 78 points and picking off 137 more runners. Trine crossed the 4000 and 5000-meter marks in 10^th place but dropped 25 and 13 points off their score. In the homestretch, Trine outkicked Wisconsin-La Crosse to settle into their ninth place finish. Bailey Puckett led the charge, passing 15 runners.
 
Swick placed 48th in the field of 294 runners and Puckett was 54^th. Swick crossed in 22:09.4 and Puckett in 22:16.7.
 
Eleanor Young was third for Trine in 73^rd place with a time of 22:32.9, Chloe Goodrich was 100^th in 22:48.0. Grace Dubsky completed the Thunder's team score in 162^nd place, finishing in 23:15.8.
 
Also running for Trine were Courtney Study and Halle Overmire. Study was 194^th in 23:26.5 and Overmire was 248^th in 24:07.7.
 
This concludes the season for Trine.