The UNI men’s and women’s cross country teams headed south to Peoria, Illinois to face their first Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) competition this year.

On the women’s side, returning MVC Freshman of the Year McKayla Cole led the way for the Panthers with a second place individual finish running a time of 17:05.50 over the five kilometer course.

Immediately followed by Cole were Gabby Champion and Gabby Skopec, who placed third and fourth for the Panthers, with running times of 17:07.70 and 17:18.09. Alyssa Williams also placed sixth with a time of 17:26.5.

On the men’s side, Bradley took the team title with 16 points, one point off a perfect score. UNI placed second with a total of 67 points.

Wal Khat lead the way for the men over the eight kilometer course, running a time of 25:21.30. Placing 11th and 12th for the Panthers were Alex Jackson and Sam McCool, running times of 25:50.60 and 25:57.90 respectively.

Next up, the UNI teams will head to Minneapolis, Minnesota where they will compete in the Roy Griak Invitational, hosted by the Minnesota Golden Gophers.