NORMAL, Ill. (Sept. 14, 2024) –  The UIC men's and women's cross country teams completed their second week of racing, earning three top-10 finishes. Additionally, 18 student-athletes set personal bests, with nine from each team.

Outstanding Team Performances at the ISU Redbird Invitational | Women's Team finished 3rd out of 11 & Men's Team finished 2nd out of 8 ?????? #ChicagosCollegeTeam | #FireUpFlames pic.twitter.com/iDWb9ZgZeo

— UIC XC_T&F ???????????? (@UIC_XCTF) September 14, 2024

REDBIRD INVITE UPDATE ??

Daniel Chavez (3rd - 24:31.90), Luke Malone (7th - 24:45.90) and Praise Oyebanji (10th - 22:24.10) claimed top-10 finishes!#ChicagosCollegeTeam pic.twitter.com/4dYTJkfl6P

— UIC XC_T&F ???????????? (@UIC_XCTF) September 13, 2024

 
COACH'S COMMENT
"I'm thrilled with our performance today, from both the men and women," said head coach Paul Zavala. "We had several standout performances, and as a team, we competed exceptionally well. We're excited about our progress this season and looking forward to our next competition in Louisville in a few weeks."
 
TOP FINISHERS
Men

• Junior Daniel Chavez (Berwyn, Ill./Morton) took third place in the 8,000-meter race with a time of 24:31.90, while senior Luke Malone (Plain City, Ohio/Jonathan Adler) secured seventh place, finishing in 24:45.90.
• Sophomore Alexander Das (Oswego, Ill./Oswego East) and freshman Zac Close (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) finished closely together, placing 13^th (25:09.00) and 14^th (25:09.50), respectively.
• As a team, the men's program finished second out of eight teams.

Women

• Sophomore Praise Oyebanji (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) was the only Flame to place in the top 10 for the 6,000m race, finishing 10^th with a time of 22:24.10.
• Senior Daniela Martinez (Chicago, Ill./Lane Tech) followed, placing 15^th with a time of 22:38.10.
• The women's team finished third out of 11 competing teams.

UP NEXT
The Flames will travel to Louisville, Kentucky, in three weeks for the Louisville Classic on Saturday, Oct. 5. The men's race is set to begin at 9:30 a.m., followed by the women's race at 10:15 a.m.
 
SUPPORT YOUR FLAMES
Fans are strongly encouraged to support NIL opportunities for UIC scholar-athletes through contributions to The Chicago Collective.
 
FOLLOW THE FLAMES
For more information on UIC's cross country and track & field programs, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_XCTF or @UICFlames) and Instagram (@UIC_XCTF or @uicflames).