HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – UWF women's cross country continued its 2026 season with a challenging Division I field of competition at the Southern Showcase at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama.
 
Junior Sydney Orth led the Argos with an 18:07.2 finish in the women's 5K, recording the third-fastest 5K time in UWF program history. Orth improved on her previous program-best mark of 18:24.9, which she ran at the Foothills Invitational earlier this season, 
 
"The women continue to improve and make strides as we progress through the season," head coach Caleb Carmichael said. I felt like Syd and Madi stepped up big for us today. We wanted to finish a bit higher and I think we will soon, but for now, we will grow from this result and use it for a big month of racing in October."
 
As a team, UWF placed 27th out of 31 teams, competing in a field that included top Division I programs including Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Mississippi State. The Argos competed against 309 individual runners in the women's 5K.
 
Sophomore Elyse Carmichael was the second Argos finisher, placing 153rd with a time of 18:59.1; freshman Kailyn Ford finished 218th in 19:41.3; junior Madison Sims recorded a personal-best 5K time of 19:43.1 to place 221st; and Sierra Howard rounded out the scoring five for UWF, finishing 244th in 19:54.9.
 
Marissa Berger placed 248th with a time of 19:57.7, while Olivia Noack finished 270th in 20:24.5.
 
The Southern Showcase marked UWF's second competition of the season after opening the year with a fifth-place finish at the Foothills Invitational. 
 
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The Argos head to Atlanta, GA next  to compete in the Georgia Tech Invitational on Oct. 2. For news updates, meet results, rosters, bios, schedules, and more, visit GoArgos.com or follow @UWFXC on X, Instagram, and Facebook.