WAVERLY, Iowa — The Knox College cross country teams competed at the Dan Huston Invite hosted by Wartburg College on Saturday with nearly 300 men starting the 8K race and more than 200 women pounding the trails for the 6K. Senior Lance Miller had the best finish for the men's team in 26th place, while first-year Elsie Conwell paced the women in 94th.

Second-ranked Wartburg, with nearly 60 runners on its men's roster, claimed 15 of the top 25 times with Miller crossing the tape next in 25:50.0. The one Prairie Fire runner to run a season-best time was senior Elliott Varnum in 31:02.7, about eight seconds faster than his last race and Knox's third-best time on the day. Only Miller and sophomore Misha Ratner (29:20.2, 174th) posted lower times.

Conwell, like Miller, continued to lead her team across the finish line, completing the course in 26:00.2. Next to cross the tape was junior Cecilia Goodin in 27:10.9 (a season-best), followed by her classmate, Alenis Rios, with a season-best time as well in 29:40.4. And first-year Nikki Walsh, running in her second collegiate 6K race, shaved nearly three minutes off her time in 34:21.6.

• The Knox men placed 15th out of the 16 teams in the field, while the women were 15th of 15.
• A total of 16 men and 12 women did not finish the race, but every Prairie Fire runner — male and female — completed the course.
• Wartburg won the men's 8K with 23 points while 28th-ranked Cornell College were the victors in the women's 6K.

Knox will next run at the Augustana Interregional meet in two weeks on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 11 a.m.