STATESBORO, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's cross country team placed fifth at the Eagles XC Challenge Saturday.

Head coach Lauren Etheridge's team was paced by sophomore Sophie King's time of 24:27.03 on the 5k course.

Multi-sport student-athlete Courtney Strauss took 19^th after crossing the finish line in 26:02.06. Teresa Franco Dias, a multi-sport standout, notched a 23^rd-place effort after posting a time of 27:18.86.

Kendra Zavala finished 36^th after finishing in 33:10.42. Iree Simon totaled a time of 38:13.10, which was good enough for 39^th place.

Georgia Southern won the event. Paine and USC-Beaufort rounded out the top three teams in the seven-team field.

The Pacers return to action Saturday, Oct. 5, when they compete at the Charleston Invitational.