HUNTINGTON, W. Va. -- With a crop of experience and high-level talent back to mesh with a large incoming recruiting class, it has been safe to say that the expectations have been high for the Shawnee State women's cross country program.

The SSU women's cross country program certainly passed their first test with flying colors Friday evening at the Thundering Herd XC Invitational in Huntington, W. Va., as Olivia Cisco (ninth) and Jessica Elick (18th) were the highest two placing non-NCAA Division I runners in the field while six Shawnee State runners ultimately placed among the top 31 in a stacked 56-runner field that was filled with 22 NCAA Division I runners between Ohio and Marshall as well as NAIA participants from Rio Grande, West Virginia Tech and Pikeville at the YMCA Kennedy Center in Huntington, W. Va.

Coming in third place, Shawnee State was the top NAIA program at the event as the Bears tallied 85 points -- finishing only behind host Marshall's 52 tallies and Ohio's 15.

Once again, Shawnee State's two strongholds at the top of the board continued to solidify their standing as stout runners.

Cisco, who held a top-12 position throughout much of the race, hit another gear down the final straight and with it, eked out a top-10 run by garnering a ninth-place finish, posting a personal best 5K run of 18:08.64 in the process. That time eclipsed her previous personal best by nearly 15 full seconds as a result. Additionally, Cisco outran 13 NCAA Division I runners from both Ohio and Marshall en route to her team-leading run.

Elick, who has continued to grow alongside Cisco, held firm top-20 standing throughout the race, pumping out a 19:01.86 to better her previous PR in the 5K by more than 10 seconds.

Behind the lead duo, freshman Payton McQuirt enjoyed a strong debut, running a 19:59.51 and beating out two NCAA Division I runners to finish 25th in the field, while upperclassman Beth Middleton made her own significant progress, running a 20-second personal best to finish 26th by posting a 20:00.52.

Junior vet Juniper Allen's 20:08.48 and sophomore transfer Riley Colestock's 20:15.63 continued to provide depth for Shawnee State on down the line, with Colestock running nearly 47 seconds faster than her last 5K run at the JennaStrong Invitational last October.

"The women's team had a great evening," Shawnee State Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Conner Flynn said. "Cisco and Jess proved that they will continue to be the strong presence they are up front. Both had a great evening. I am proud of the returnees for the standard they set tonight, along with Payton McQuirt having a great evening, breaking 20:00 in her first college race."

Behind the lead six, Kirsten Evans' 21:33.77 (38th), Hadlee Cisco's 22:08.78 (40th), Amanda Salmons' 22:17.20 (41st), Emma Hurst's 22:38.31 (43rd) and Whitney Adams' 23:43.43 (47th) rounded out the Shawnee State runners who took part on the women's side of the coin. Shawnee State will gear up for another competitive meet Friday, Sept. 5 when the Bears head to Indiana Wesleyan University to race in the IWU Twilight Meet, which will be held in Marion, Ind.

For more information on the Shawnee State women's cross country program, visit https://ssubears.com/sports/womens-cross-country or head to https://www.instagram.com/shawnee_state_xctf/.