DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Sarah Edens and Kristen Metcalfe finished at the top of the leaderboards to lead the Embry-Riddle women's cross country team to a runner-up finish at the 2018 Sunshine State Conference Championships.
 
The Eagles had the advantage of running the 2018 SSC Championships at their home course. Edens (21:52.71), who ran her best career 6k time by three seconds, set the pace for the rest of the field, earning a first-place finish. This comes after she finished second-overall in last year's conference championships.
 
Just 16 seconds behind, Metcalfe (22:08.37), the third-fastest runner in Eagle history, earned a second-place finish while also setting a new personal record in the 6k.
 
Kara Funke's time of 23:06.18 earned a 12th-place finish, followed by Josie Gray's (23:12.96) 17th place finish, Maggie Allen's (23:35.99) 24th place finish and Mikaela Hakamaa's (23:45.32) 28th place finish. Gray and Allen both set new personal bests in the 6k.
 
Also running for ERAU was Ukeyvia Beckwith (31st - 23:53.36), Alex Orr (32nd - 23:56.90), Rachel Jones (38th - 24:29.87), Megan Fletcher (46th - 25:31.96), and Sara Towers (55th - 26:44.22). Beckwith's time was her career-best time for a 6k.
 
ERAU's total time of 1:53:57 was faster than the first-place Tampa squad by 38 seconds, but the Spartan's score bested the Eagles by three points.
 
The Eagles will now compete at the NCAA II South Region Championships on November 17. The competition takes place at Holloway Park in Lakeland, Fla.