Michigan
Pre-National Invitational
Wolverines to Return to Action at Pre-National Invitational
10/14/2026 9:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's cross country team will continue its fall season at the Pre-National Invitational on Friday (Oct. 16), at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind.
Notes
• The Wolverines head to Indiana after competing in two major regular-season meets. Michigan opened the 2026 campaign with a third-place finish at the Spartan Invitational on Sept. 11 in East Lansing, followed by a ninth-place team performance at the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invite on Sept. 25 in Chicago, where 11 total Wolverines posted career-best times.
• Graduate student Penelopea Gordon has paced Michigan in both competitions this fall, opening her season by placing third overall with a time of 21:08.3 over six kilometers at the Spartan Invitational to earn her first collegiate top-three finish.
• At the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invite on Sept. 25, Gordon overtook 27 runners over the final three kilometers to finish 26th overall in 20:02.6, leading the team for a second consecutive meet.
• Junior Stephanie Bertram made her season debut at Loyola, running a career-best 20:10.8 to finish 38th overall as Michigan's second finisher.
• Senior Hannah Pricco scored second for Michigan at the Spartan Invitational with an 11th-place finish (21:22.7) and followed up by setting a career-best time at the Loyola Lakefront Invite.
• Freshman Mikita Barry made an immediate impact in her collegiate debut at the Spartan Invitational, placing 22nd with a time of 21:39.2 as one of U-M's top point-scorers. She built on her debut performance two weeks later in Chicago by setting another career-best time in the 6K championship race at the Loyola Lakefront Invite.
• Sophomore Caroline Beiting improved her personal record by more than 16 seconds at the Spartan Invitational, running 21:41.1 before recording another career-best time at Loyola.
• Senior Brooke Johnston rounded out Michigan's scorers at the Spartan Invitational in 26th place (21:42.6) and later posted a career-best 20:25.78 in her home state of Illinois at the Loyola Lakefront Invite.
• U-M showcased strong team depth at the Loyola Lakefront Invite, where seven of 10 championship race competitors and 11 total Michigan runners posted career-best times across the championship and open races.
