CHICAGO, Ill. - The Elmhurst University women's cross country team turned in a strong opening-meet performance, placing second in the team standings behind Division I foe Loyola University Chicago. The Bluejays placed five runners inside the top 20 to finish with 53 points, trailing only Loyola's winning total of 26.

Junior Jessica Solar led Elmhurst with a sixth-place finish, clocking in at 20:11.6, just ahead of classmate Paige Rewerts, who crossed seventh in the same time. Freshman Joanna Rivera impressed in her collegiate debut, placing eighth overall in 20:15.7, while senior Alyssa Roelli added a 13th-place finish in 20:25.3. Sophomore Keagan Burke closed out the scoring lineup with a 19th-place showing in 21:16.5.

The Bluejays' depth was on display with freshman Morgan Ashcroft (20th, 21:23.4) and junior Annie Hathaway (22nd, 21:34.6) finishing just outside the scoring five.

Behind Elmhurst, Aurora took third with 62 points, followed by Illinois Tech (95), North Park (121), and Dominican (154).

Elmhurst returns to competition on Friday, Sept. 5 at the NCCXC Invitational.