WACO, Texas – The Iowa State women’s cross country team finished seventh at the 2024 Big 12 Cross Country Championships on Friday morning. Maelle Porcher led the Cyclones with a ninth-place individual finish to earn All-Big 12 honors for the second time in her ISU career.

“Today was a great day to get one last mega effort for our teams before moving to the NCAA Regional meet,” said Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Jeremy Sudbury.

Porcher finished among a pack of runners, edging BYU’s Carmen Alder for ninth place by over a half-second with her time of 19:58.18.

Bella Heikes (20:51.17) and Riley Beach (20:51.65) were the next scorers for Iowa State, finishing 40th and 41st, respectively. They were followed closely by freshman Ruby Hughes, who crossed the finish line in 21:06.42 for a 47th place finish.

Sheridan Wheeler (50th), Taylor Briggs (52nd) and Kiki Connell (61st) rounded out Cyclone scorers at the conference meet, helping Iowa State hold a comfortable advantage over Kansas, 171-230.

“The women put together their best race of the year and are trending the right way,” stated Sudbury. “Coach (Cale) Wallace has the group improving each week.”

Up Next
Iowa State travels to Peoria, Illinois for the 2024 NCAA Midwest Regional Championship. The Cyclones finished second in Stillwater last season to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. This year’s Midwest Regional is set to start at 11:00 a.m. on November 15.

Team Results
1. No. 1 BYU, 41; 2. No. 4 West Virginia, 60; 3. No. 6 Utah, 86; 4. No. 18 Oklahoma State, 103; 5. Texas Tech, 155; 6. Colorado, 165; 7. Iowa State, 171; 8. Kansas, 230; 9. Arizona State, 316; 10. Kansas State, 319; 11. Cincinnati, 320; 12. UCF, 350; 13. Baylor, 363; 14. TCU, 371; 15. Houston, 391; 16. Arizona, 463

Individual Results
1. Ceili McCabe, West Virginia, 19:02.60; 9. Maelle Porcher, Iowa State, 19:58.18; 40. Bella Heikes, Iowa State, 20:51.17; 41. Riley Beach, Iowa State, 20:51.65; 47. Ruby Hughes, Iowa State, 21:06.42; 50. Sheridan Wheeler, Iowa State, 21:09.91; 52. Taylor Briggs, Iowa State, 21:10.89; 61. Kiki Connell, Iowa State, 21:27.00; 62. Aspen Fulbright, Iowa State, 21:27.32; 65. Becca Heitzig, Iowa State, 21:33.36; 68. Ashlyn Keeney, Iowa State, 21:41.10