Stover (left) French (right) - PC: Frank Novak

Posted: Sep 13, 2025

French leads young electric core for Storm women's cross country at Les Duke Invite

GRINNELL, Iowa - Ava French continued to pace the Storm women's country team, leading the Storm to a third place finish at the Les Duke Invitational on Saturday.

French nearly claimed another top-10 performance, placing 11th overall in a field of 89 runners with a time of 25:04 minutes. Kalia Stover followed up in second place and just 28 seconds behind French before the trio of Brylee Schechinger, Kate Huisinga, and Emma Miller all finished with nearly the exact same times. Elie Tuhn and Araceli Tapetillo rounded out the scoring seven for Simpson as the Storm finished with 91 points, only behind Central and Grinnell.

"Ava French was really good for us today as she battled some of the top runners in the region," said head coach Heath Moenck. "Another highlight were freshmen Kalia Stover, Brylee Schechinger, and Emma Miller. They competed well and gained valuable experience as the season plays out. With four of our top five new to college cross country, I'm really looking forward to the progress our women will make this fall."

TEAM STANDINGS

1. Central - 22 points
2. Grinnell - 33 points
3. Simpson - 91 points
4. Cornell - 111 points
5. Knox - 147 points
6. William Penn - 173 points

TOP FINISHERS

11. Ava French - 25:04.7
17. Kalia Stover - 25:32.4
20. Brylee Schechinger - 25:55.4
21. Kate Huisinga - 25:55.7
22. Emma Miller - 25:55.8
23. Elie Tuhn - 26:06.3
26. Araceli Tapetillo - 26:38.9