EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Freshman Joy Chirchir came in 21st place to lead the way for a seventh-place team finish at the 2021 NCAA Women's Cross Country Great Lakes Regional in Evansville, Ind. on Friday.

Chirchir, whose time in the 6K run was 20:22.5, was followed by junior Lou Trois (26th/20:33.8), senior Semra Karaslan (28th/20:36.7), junior Faith Linga (46th/20:56.7) and junior Madeline Vining (69th/21:19.4). Chirchir's time is good enough to qualify her as an individual at the NCAA Championship Meet in Tallahassee on Nov. 20.

 Notre Dame won the race with 56 points, led by race medalist Maddie Dener, who won the race with a time of 19:55.8. Notre Dame and second-place Wisconsin automatically qualified for the NCAA Championship Meet in Tallahassee, Fla. on Nov. 20. Toledo, which had 190 team points, will need to wait to see if it will be one of 13 at-large bids to the national championship race.

"Our women ran with incredible heart today and showed a ton of grit," said Head Coach Andrea Grove-McDonough. "In the end, the injuries we've sustain over the final weeks held us back from our full potential today. Having said that, the teams in front of us, particularly 1 through 5, were just too good. All five are projected to be in the NCAA finals. It's arguably the deepest region in the county so we are keeping up and getting closer to where we ultimately want to be.
 
"Individually, it was a terrific fight from Joy who has been hampered these final weeks with an injury, But she hung super tough and her performance today will earn a bid to the NCAA championships as an individual.

"I'm incredibly proud of both our programs and what we've accomplished this season. When we arrived here in 2019 the women finished 16th and the men were 17th. So to come out today at seventh and 11th shows just how far we've come."

2021 NCAA Great Lakes Regional
Women's Cross Country 
Friday, Nov. 12
Evansville, Ind.
Team Standings – Women's 6K

1. Notre Dame - 56
2. Wisconsin - 69
3. Michigan - 81
4. Michigan State - 87
5. Butler - 119
6. Ohio State - 181
7. Toledo - 190
8. Indiana - 222
9. Purdue - 226
10. Miami (Ohio) - 349
11. Cincinnati - 360
12. Akron - 389
13. Dayton - 430
14. Bowling Green - 432
15. Milwaukee - 498
16. Oakland - 509
17. Ohio - 529
18. Youngstown St. - 533
19. Eastern Michigan - 553
20. Ball State - 573
21. Central Michigan - 576
22. Indiana State- 602
23. Marquette - 605
24. Kent State - 618
25. Xavier (Ohio) - 660
26. Wright State - 660
27. Evansville - 867
28. Wis.-Green Bay - 891
29. Valparaiso - 918
30. Cleveland St. - 936
31. Purdue Fort Wayne - 942

 
Toledo Individual Results
21. Joy Chirchir - 20:22.5
26. Lou Trois - 20:33.8
28. Semra Karaslan - 20:36.7
46. Faith Linga – 20:56.7
69. Madeline Vining - 21:19.4
74. Emily Vining 21:29.7
88. Claire Steigerwald 21:43.8