FLORENCE, S.C. – For the second consecutive meet, senior Keely Gillespieearned the individual title while the University of South Carolina Aiken cross country team took third overall at the Francis Marion Invitational Friday afternoon.

"I'm really happy with our effort today and how close everyone was packed together," head coach Kara Kreutzer said. "I hope we can keep up the momentum for the Peach Belt Conference Championship next week."

Running on the 5k course, Gillespie trailed two runners through the first mile but left no doubt en route to the individual title, winning by nearly 30 seconds. She methodically moved past the two early in the meet and cruised to the victory in a time of 19:39, which is the second-fastest time in school history.

The win for Gillespie marked her second career victory at Francis Marion and her third overall title. She posted a victory there in the Pacers' season-opening meet in 2012. 

Junior Alexis Harvin garnered a top-10 finish by crossing the finish line in 21:52. The time was good enough for eighth place. Fellow third-year student-athlete Brittany May posted a 12th-place effort with a time of 22:20.

Kayla Millholland, a junior, notched a time of 22:27 to take 13th while sophomore Morgan Payne was just behind her in 14th. Payne crossed the line in 22:40.

Senior Lauren Hodge accounted for 18th place by registering a time of 24:06. Colleen Cirillo earned a 27th-place finish after crossing in 26:24.

The Pacers return to action next week at the Peach Belt Conference Championship, which is hosted by Georgia Southwestern. The event starts at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26.