LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The West Liberty University women's cross country team will step onto one of the biggest stages of the fall this weekend when it competes in the 24th Annual Swags Louisville Cross Country Classic at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park. The Hilltoppers are entered in the Women's College Blue Race, which is set for 11 a.m. on Saturday.

The Black and Gold have opened the 2025 season with two strong performances. They kicked things off at the West Liberty Invitational with a fifth-place team finish, edging Clarion in a tight battle. Freshman Alexis Wynn led the way in her debut, clocking 19:42.8 for 14th place, while junior Lacey Dimit and fellow freshman Gretchen House also cracked the top 25.

West Liberty built on that start at the Bethany Invitational, where they placed third against a deep regional field. Dimit paced the squad with a sixth-place finish in 24:13.2, while House (10th), Wynn (14th), and Naomi Young (15th) packed up tightly to give the Hilltoppers four runners inside the top 15. Freshman Katherine Rutherford (21st) rounded out the scoring five, helping WLU post a spread of just over 1:20 between its scoring runners.

Saturday's Louisville Classic will mark the Hilltoppers' first chance to test themselves against a large, multi-division field on a fast, nationally recognized course.