CROSS COUNTRY

HU sophomore Emma Wilson ran an inspiring race over the weekend to take second at the XC Town USA Meet of Champions in Terre Haute, presented by the Garrett Companies.

Wilson, a two-time Indiana state cross country champion at Greencastle High, navigated the 6K layout in 20:18.7 to finish runner-up to former University of Washington All-American and British professional athlete Amy-Eloise Markovc (Neale).

The two ran stride for stride most of the race before Markovc, a likely future Olympian, out-kicked Wilson in the final stretch to break the tape in 20:17.3, winning by 1.4 seconds. Wilson finished ten seconds ahead of the third-place finisher Ericka VanderLende (Michigan) and 16 seconds ahead of fourth-place finisher Jenna Magness (Michigan State).

No stranger to the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course where Saturday’s race was held, Wilson won both her high school cross country titles there. It was also the venue of last year’s NCAA Division I Championships where the Greencastle native competed for the University of Illinois.

On this given day, Wilson was one of 92 unattached runners who competed in the women’s elite/college/open 6K that featured a host of professional athletes, the top talent from the Big Ten as well as current and former Division I All-Americans from across the country.

Wilson, who went undefeated for the Foresters this fall, now turns her attention to indoor track and field slated to kick-off Thursday at Indiana Tech’s Thrive for Greatness Invitational.