The Governors State’s women’s track and field team brought depth and determination to Francis Olympic Field on Thursday night, putting together a strong collective showing in the 5000-meter run at the Washington University Distance Carnival in St. Louis.

With 14 runners entered in the event, the Jaguars fielded one of the largest lineups of any team in the race, and two runners landed in the top ten of their respective sections.

Sophomore Camila Mendez was the top scorer for GovState, crossing the finish line at 20:16.40, and she was good for sixth place overall in her heat. Just behind her was junior Morgan Pieczynski, who followed up with a 20:23.80 finish.

In the latter section of the event, Avery Kittl delivered the standout time of the night for the Jaguars, running 19:35.13 to claim tenth place in her section.

The rest of the squad followed closely, with Sophie Hummitisch (21:05.74) and Sydney Bonham (21:35.58) rounding out the team’s top five performances. Freshmen and sophomores dominated the lineup, showing not just promise for this season but depth for the future.

Altogether, GovState athletes held their own against a stacked field that included athletes from NCAA Division I and II programs. For a team focused on building experience and endurance ahead of the outdoor season, the trip to WashU offered a big step forward.

Governors State is set to return to competition April 3–5 at the Chicagoland Invitational, hosted at Langhorst Field on Elmhurst University’s campus, as the outdoor season officially gets underway.