EVANSVILLE, Ind.—Making its first-ever NCAA Division I postseason appearance, University of Southern Indiana Women's Cross Country raced to a 19th-place finish out of 32 teams at the Great Lakes Region Championships Friday morning at Angel Mounds Historical Site.
 
Sophomore Hadessah Austin was 56th to pace the Screaming Eagles, while junior Ellie Hall was 60th in the 231-competitor field. Austin finished the six-kilometer race in 21 minutes, 13.5 seconds after hovering around a top 40 spot for most of the race, while Hall completed the course in 21:17.3.
 
The Screaming Eagles finished with 545 points, just five back of Purdue University for 18th and 40 in front of Purdue Fort Wayne, which was 20th. Notre Dame and Wisconsin were first and second, respectively, to punch their tickets to the NCAA I National Championships, while Toledo, Michigan State and Cincinnati rounded out the top five teams.
 
USI was buoyed by the efforts of junior Zoe Seward and sophomore Addison Applegate. Seward finished 130th, while Applegate was 152nd. Freshman Lilyanna Blais and junior Sara Livingston were 172nd and 174th, respectively, while sophomore Abrielle Richard rounded out the Screaming Eagles' lineup with a 204th-place finish.
 
Notre Dame freshman Amaya Aramini won the race in 19:38.0, while Notre Dame sophomore Mary Bonner Dalton was second with a time of 19:44.0
 
Friday's meet marked the first time since 2021 that the Screaming Eagles have competed in a regional. USI was not allowed to compete at regionals during their transition to full-time Division I status.
 
USI begins its 2025-26 indoor track & field season December 6th when it competes at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener in Boston, Massachusetts. The Screaming Eagles also are scheduled to race at the Indiana Eary Bird in Bloomington December 12th before taking a month off over the holiday break.