The Butler women made a strong move over the back half of the NCAA Pre-National Invitational Friday morning, climbing into third place on the team leaderboard in the 6k "White" Race.
 
For the third time this season, junior Hannah Moore led the Bulldogs. She finished 20^th overall in a time of 21:22.7. She was among the Top 25 throughout the race.
 
It was Moore's teammates making moves midway through the race that propelled the Bulldogs from 14^th in the team standings at the 2k mark to seventh at the 4k split and ultimately to a third-place finish behind only teams from BYU and North Carolina State. Those two teams also took the top two spots in the elite "Blue" race earlier in the morning on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Ind., that will host the 2026 NCAA Cross Country Championships in November.
 
The Bulldogs behind Moore were hovering around position No. 100 at the 2k split but made a move as a group toward the Top 50 at the halfway point. Poppy Healy finished in a time of 21:45.1 to place 42^nd while Ella Olthof's time of 21:49.6 was good for 46^th. Lila Volkers and Hana Boggess were also among Butler's scoring five.
 
BYU's Tessa Buswell won the "White" Race with a time of 20:27.5. The "White" Race included 26 teams and 282 runners. The "Blue" Race earlier in the day featured seven ranked teams in the field and was won by North Carolina State's Hannah Gapes in 18:57.6.
 
The Butler men did not compete in Friday's race as a team after previously running in Terre Haute Sept. 19 at the John McNichols Invitational. Two of Butler's men did compete as individuals in the 8k "White" Race.
 
THE BUTLER WOMEN (6k "White" Race):
20) Hannah Moore, 21:22.7
42) Poppy Healy, 21:45.1
46) Ella Olthof, 21:49.6
77) Lila Volkers, 22:04.1
78) Hana Boggess, 22:04.4
104) Emily Berger, 22:17.1
105) Mckenna Mazeski, 22:17.5
154) Callie Bentley, 22:40.2
173) Susanne Estepp, 22:50.5
179) Caterina Perego, 22:54.9
 
THE BUTLER MEN (8k "White" Race):
23) Eli Ilg, 25:02.9
115) John Libs, 26:07.6

UP NEXT: Friday's meet served as the last competition for the Bulldogs prior to the BIG EAST Championships Oct. 30 in Virginia.