SPARTANBURG, S.C. (Sept. 4, 2026) - The USC Upstate Eye Opener lived up to its name for the ETSU women's cross country team.
Mackenzie Armstrong shattered her personal best in her ETSU debut while
Deena Ludtke posted a top 20 in her first cross country race in nearly two years to lead ETSU to a fourth-place finish at the Roger Milliken Center in Spartanburg on Friday evening.
Armstrong, a sophomore transfer from Loyola Chicago, crossed the line 16th in 18:43.7, besting her previous best 5k time 19:21.4 at the NPU/CUC Invite in Chicago on August 29, 2025. Ludtke followed shortly after in 18th with an 18:52.0, and sophomore
Madalyn Mahoney also set a personal best with a 19:17.4 to finish 26th, gaining 16 places over the final three kilometers.
Avery Thomas finished 34th with a 19:28.6 in her college debut, and
McKenzie Fitzgerald came home 37th with a 19:35.5 to round out the scoring places.
Four other freshmen set initial marks for the Bucs in their college debuts.
Hannah Robinson posted a 19:43.7 for 41st.
Paige Remillard ran a 19:45.4 to finish 42nd, and
Ava Berkheimer followed with a 19:51.9.
Aubrey Jones came home 60th with a 20:11.66 after posting a competitive 7:45.2 split in the first two kilometers. Junior
Gracie Franklin finished 47th with a 19:53.5.
ETSU finished fourth among 13 teams with 114 points, with Wofford finishing ninth as the only SoCon rival in the field. South Carolina won the team event convincingly with 26 points while Clemson's Nancy Cherop won the individual race in 16:24.6. The Bucs return to action in two weeks at the Hokie Invitational in Blacksburg.
For more information on ETSU women's cross country, go to ETSUBucs.com.
