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UPLAND, Ind. - Grace’s women’s cross country team made history on Friday morning at the 2026 Crossroads League Championships.
The Lancers won their first Crossroads League championship in women’s team history. Grace put five runners in the top-15, led by freshman Chloe Gibson who placed third individually.
Krysta Stanko finished in fifth place, making the Lancers the only team to place two runners in the top five.
Grace Pettit joined her fellow Lancer runners’ in the top-10 with an eighth-place finish.
Faith Spain and Cece Mitchell were next to cross the finish line for Grace, finishing in 12th and 15th place respectively. All five of Grace’s top-five finishers were named All-League; Grace occupied one-third of the All-League winners in the women’s race.
The Lancers’ team score of 43 was six points clear of Taylor who placed second. The women’s title also snaps a 13-year championship streak by Taylor, held since 2013.
Due to technical malfunction, individual and team times were not immediately available following the women’s 6K race.
The women’s top-seven were rounded out by Leah Emch, who placed 19th in the race, and Esther Crane in 41st.
The Lancers’ women’s team will next set their sights on the 2026 NAIA National Championships. The championship race is held in Vancouver, Wash., on Nov. 20. Grace’s women have placed in the top-15 at NAIAs every year since 2021, highlighted by an eighth-place finish in 2024.
“The ladies ran exactly how they were supposed to run. We had a few ladies perform even beyond what we expected. They worked together as a team – as one family and one unit. That’s exactly how we trained all year,” said Grace head coach Brian Dewey. “This team has put in a lot of miles all year long. There are constant early mornings and late nights, and they have done an exemplary job, continuing to grow. We are having a whole lot of fun right now.”
On the men’s side, the Lancers were led by underclassmen. Freshman Brady Hicks was the team’s top finisher as he crossed the finish line in 23rd place (25:33.8).
Austin Wilson was next in line at 26:32.5; he was the lone upperclassman to finish among Grace’s top seven.
Two freshmen ended next for Grace with Brayden Mainwaring (26:45.4) and Zeke Benedict (26:54.1) placing in the top-60 overall.
Sophomore Matt Urbina followed up the duo with a race of 27:07.8. The top-seven was rounded out by freshmen Noah Melton (27:27.4) and Jerry Troyer (27:28.9).
