TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Three members of the Jacksonville University women's cross country team got a taste of the national stage and the level of competition at the FSU XC Invite/Pre-Nats on Friday morning.

Hayleigh Palotti was the Dolphins' best finisher, placing 13th overall in the Women's Open 6K at Apalachee Regional Park.

"It was a tough go this morning," said Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Ron Grigg. "Expectations were higher than the results.
"We'll reflect, find the areas for improvement and move forward."

The race featured some of the best runners from across the country, with competitors hailing from Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Kentucky, Arizona State and the host school Florida State. The event is meant to be one of the premier tests for elite level runners before the national championships next month.

Palotti, who has already won two races this fall, faced her stiffest competition to date. She posted a final time of 21:25.1, just 00:43.2 off of the first-place finishers time. She was the top finisher among ASUN Conference competitors and finished fifth among non-power five racers.

Freshman Madison Jones finished 99th, with a time of 22:50.1 in her biggest race of her college career and fellow freshman Emma Sullivan rounded out the JU entries with a time of 23:22.5.

The rest of the team competes in the GATA XC Classic hosted by Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Ga. this evening, with the race scheduled for a 5 p.m. start.