CHARLOTTE, N.C. | The Georgia College & State University women's cross country team finished in eighth place at Queen City Invitational hosted by Queens University of Charlotte Friday (Sept. 11) evening.

The Bobcats, who are ranked seventh in the preseason U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Southeast Region poll, finished in eighth place out of 26 teams with 269 points. GCSU finished third out of the 14 Division II institutions competing in the meet, including topping Augusta University, which was picked to finish second in the Peach Belt Conference this year.

Erin O'Brien completed the 5K course in a time of 18.49.8 to finish the race as the top Bobcat in 35th place. Sydney Thisdale was next in 61st place at 19.50.3 and was followed by Haven Bejnerowicz (74th, 20.15.7), Keli George (90th, 20.33.8), and Emma Jow (91st, 20.36.0) to round out the top five runners for the Bobcats.

Avery Sams (92nd, 20.37.2), Madeline Harron (109th, 21.19.6), Lily Flood (122nd, 21.40.1), Maddie Reese Smith (124th, 21.46.0) and Paxton Kirby (128th, 21.52.2) were the next five GCSU runners to cross the finish line. Sadie Edris (136th, 22.08.2), Izzy Hall (143rd, 22.15.3) and Campbell Smith (145th, 22.23.2) rounded out the field for the Bobcats.

GCSU returns to action Sept. 25 when they compete at the PBC Preview hosted by Middle Georgia State University in Macon, Georgia, at 9 a.m.

About GCSU Athletics 
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for five consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 13 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won six consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and six-time winners of the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in postseason competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports or subscribe to the GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics.