Rockhurst women's cross country continued its impressive early-season form with a second-place team finish at the Queen City After Dark Run in Springfield, Missouri last night (Sept. 11).

The Hawks totaled 72 points and posted a combined team time of 1:32:43.3 to place second in the team standings, improving on their third-place finish from the previous weekend at the Rim Rock Farm Classic in Lawrence, Kansas. Rockhurst placed six runners among the top 30 finishers, with 10 competitors finishing inside the top 70 in a deep field.

Sophomore Carrington Hessen once again led the way for Rockhurst, turning in a record-breaking performance. The transfer crossed the finish line in 17:37.0 to place second overall, setting a new school record that she initially broke last weekend in the process. Hessen's performance comes one week after earning GLVC/Athletic Solutions Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week honors following her standout debut in Lawrence.

Freshman Natalie Hawthorne continued her strong start to her collegiate career, placing 10th overall with a time of 18:06.0. Hawthorne's mark would have established a new school record had Hessen not broken the record earlier in the race, giving the Hawks two of the fastest performances in program history on the same night.

Freshman Brooke Stephenson added another top-20 finish for Rockhurst, placing 18th in 18:47.0. Freshman Andie Garrett and junior Laney Parmeley rounded out the Hawks' scoring five, each crossing the finish line in 19:08.0 to finish 26th and 27th, respectively. Sophomore Keira Naidoo finished just outside the scoring five in 28th place with a time of 19:12.0, while senior Alexis Borum placed 35th in 19:31.0. Junior Ella Easton (20:12.0), sophomore Kaitlyn Davis (20:16.0) and senior Grace Kaiser (20:25.0) also competed for the Hawks.

After back-to-back runner-up finishes to open the year, the Hawks will have a couple of weeks off before returning to action at the Gans Creek Classic 6K on Friday (Sept. 25) in Columbia, Missouri.