The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women’s and men’s cross country team’s both struggled last weekend at the Illini Challenge in Champaign, Ill., finishing third and fourth respectively.

Host Illinois ran away with first place in both the men’s and women’s events.

For the women, the Panthers finished third and grabbed 71 points while the host Illini finished with a commanding 29 points. Illinois State finished second with 45 while the University of Illinois-Chicago rounded out the event in fourth with 81.

Sophomore Holly Nearman was one of the bright spots for the Panthers, finishing seventh, crossing the line at 19:01.

UWM had three more runners finish in the top 20, led by senior Kourtney Nault, who finished 12th with a time of 19:21.

Two sophomores, Erin Magargee and Elizabeth Brothen, finished along side each other in 14th and 15th places. The two were just a second apart as Magargee posted a time of 19:45 while Brothen was just a second behind at 19:46.

Another sophomore, Danielle Magargee, also scored for the Panthers, placing 26th with a time of 21:49, while two freshmen, Erin Willis and Laura Ring, finished in the team’s top seven, placing 27th and 30th respectively.

As for the men, junior Nick Hawley led the way with a 14th-place finish at 26:33. Freshman Mike Sorenson wasn’t far behind, taking 18th in a time of 26:59.

The Panthers finished fourth with 94 points while host Illinois was flawless with a perfect score of 15 points. UIC took second with 63 points.

Senior Justin Gorman and freshman Ryan Mlevia finished neck and neck as they took 21st and 22nd places, with Gorman running a time of 27:21 and Mlevia 27:23. Freshman Eric Pitt rounded out the top scorers with a time of 27:42, finishing 24th.

Freshman Matt Dreifke and sophomore Nick Porter rounded out the top seven for UWM. Dreifke was 26th in 27:55 and Porter 28th in 28:11.

Both the men and women will return to action at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational Sept. 30, in Chicago.

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