Women's Cross Country . October 2, 2026

Freshman's Record Day Pushes No. 12 Gamecocks to Podium

Final Results

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Oct 2, 2026) – The 12^th-ranked South Carolina cross country squad continued its hot start with a third podium finish in as many races to start the season, placing third at the Joe Piane Invite Friday morning.

USC was paced by freshman Louise Bailly who became the third-fastest Gamecock ever in the 5K, crossing the finish line in 16:03.42, good for ninth place. Her performance is third only to Judy Kosgei, who was also a freshman when she set the school record at 15:52.9 in 2023 and Bailly’s teammate Salma Elbadra, who finished in 15:57.5 at last year’s edition of the Joe Piane Invite.

The Gamecocks finished with 102 points on the day at the Burke Golf Course, just 18 points behind National No. 7 and hosts Notre Dame while No. 1 NC State took the meet title with 39 points. South Carolina finished ahead of Clemson (143 points) and Indiana (159 points) to round out the top five in the 20-team meet.

Behind Bailly, the 2025 All-American Elbadra was the next Gamecock scorer in 16^th place at 16:22.83. Junior Teresa Cherotich was not far behind in 20^th at 16:26.07, senior Abir Reffas in 30^th at 16:41.34 and senior Anya Arroyo rounded out the scoring contingent in 30^th at 16:46.98.

All 10 Gamecock runners finished in the top 65 while the top nine finished in the top 50 of individuals, the four non-scorers all logging 5K PRs. South Carolina posts another statement finish at the Joe Piane Invite, a season after breaking out as a national force with a second-place finish in the 2025 field prior to qualifying for the program’s first ever NCAA Championship race.

The Gamecocks return to action in two weeks’ time for the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Friday, Oct. 16, the regular season finale ahead of the SEC Championships in Columbia, Mo. on Friday, Oct. 30.

Team Results (20 Teams)