FAIRBURN, Ga. – The University of North Georgia women's cross country team raced to an eighth place finish in the Georgia Tech XC Invitational Friday morning. 

The Nighthawks's finish came as the second-highest ranked finish among the Division II schools in attendance. It also came ahead of three Division I schools. 

UNG finished with a 2:00.35 total time and 238 points, just behind Embry-Riddle in seventh place. Florida State won the event with a 1:51.34 total time as Georgia Tech (1:53.31) and Alabama Birmingham (UAB) (1:54.37) followed. 

Graduate student Claire Mills was the top finisher for the Nighthawks. She landed in 20th place with a 23:00.6 time in the 6k event. 

Just behind Mills was senior Anna Chasteen who clocked in a 23:16.7 time for a 25th place ranking. That comes as Chasteen's personal best 6k time, topping her mark from the 2023 Southeast Region Championship a season ago. 

Freshman Maggie Welp followed the seniors with a 24:32.6 pace in just her second collegiate 6k. Already Welp is showing stellar improvement from her first 6k in which she ran a 24:57.4. Her time Friday bested that mark by an impressive 24.8 seconds. 

Fellow freshman Aubrey Dishman followed in 76th place with a 24:50.6 mark. Sophomore Adi Myers was the final scoring runner in 79th at 24:55.1 as freshman Teagan Lamp finished closely behind in 80th at 24:56.5.

Welp, Dishman, Myers and Lamp all recorded new career best times for a 6k event. The three freshmen (Welp, Dishman, Lamp) all improved on their times from the Converse Kickoff in late September while Myers finished 1.2 seconds ahead of her 6k personal best from the regional race last year. 

In the 191-runner field, UNG had eight participants finish in the top-100. 

With the race in Fairburn, Ga. as the penultimate competition this season, the Nighthawks now prepare for the final regular season race at the USC Upstate Invitational. The race takes place on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 9 a.m. in Spartanburg, S.C.