EMPORIA—Hope Saunders took home the women's individual crown at the Emporia State Invitational as the Wichita State men's and women's cross country teams returned to action after a three-week hiatus.
 
Saunders won the women's 5K with a time of 19:45.76, and she was the only competitor to run a sub-20 minute time.
 
"Considering the conditions, Hope (Saunders) ran a very strong race," said Assistant Director of Track and Field John Wise. "She took the lead and built on it throughout. She appears to be rounding into form and could be an athlete who contributes to the team effort as the season progresses. 
 
"It was  brutally hot and windy today, and the Shockers battled hard and gave a great effort."
 
Erin Topham finished 12th for Wichita State in 20:53.39. The Shocker women had four runners finish in the top 31 of an 80-woman field.
 
On the men's side, Asher Moen posted the best finish from a Shocker. He finished his first collegiate 8K in 30:14.96.
 
Moen, Josh Klein, Josh Cable, Cade Heikes, Jason Landon and Keegan Staats finished inside the top 46 of a 91-man field.
 
Four Shocker freshmen completed their first races at 8K, which is the distance run at conference championships.
 
The men's team finished fifth, and the women's team only had four finishers, meaning they did not earn a team score.
 
The Shockers have another group of runners in Eugene, Oregon, for the Bill Dellinger Invitational, which begins Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Fans can keep up with updates on Twitter @GoShockersTFXC. A full recap and PDF results will be made available as soon as possible after the conclusion of Saturday's races.
 
Men's Individual Results
26. Asher Moen – 30:14.96
31. Josh Klein – 30:30.65
33. Josh Cable – 30:50.37
41. Cade Heikes – 31:46.13
45. Jason Landon – 32:13.26
46. Keegan Staats – 32:17.78
--. Reno Law – DNF
--. Mel Obadiah – DNF 
 
Women's Individual Results
1. Hope Saunders – 19:45.76
12. Erin Topham – 20:53.39
21. McKenna Paintin – 21:46.86
31. Sharon Kiprop – 22:40.27
--. Emma Stamm – DNF