Hutchinson CC Sports Information

JOPLIN, Missouri – The No. 5-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's cross country team placed three runners in the Top 10 and won the team title of the Missouri Southern Stampede on Friday.

Hutchinson and Butler tied for the top spot in the team standings with 52 points each. But the Blue Dragons earned the championship by winning the new college cross country tie-breaker over the Grizzlies.

The new collegiate tie-breaker compares each of the top 5 runners and how they finished against each other. Butler's No. 1 and No. 2 runners finished ahead of Hutchinson's top two runners, but the Blue Dragons' third, fourth and fifth runners all finished ahead of their Butler counterparts and Hutchinson was awarded the team title.

The Blue Dragons were running their first 5,000-meter race of the season after a sixth-place showing at the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic on September 1.

All-American Serenity Larson was the top Blue Dragon runner on Friday with her fourth career Top 5 finish. Larson placed fourth with a time of 19 minutes, 29.00 seconds.

A pair of Blue Dragon freshmen earned their first career Top 10 placings.

Laura Avila placed ninth overall with a time of 20:01.03. Right behind her was teammate Jordyn Picolet, who was 10th with a time of 20:01.40.

Sophomore Taylor Hoskinson and freshman Abigail Grantham rounded out the Blue Dragon team scoring.

Hoskinson placed 14th with a time of 20:25.17. Grantham placed 22nd with a time of 21:12.16.

Sophomore Lauren Aden placed 46th with a time of 22:32.62. Freshman Chloe Inskeep was 68th with a time of 24:00.99.

The Blue Dragons next run at the Chili Pepper Festival on September 29 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.