Cal Poly’s Peyton Bilo finishes 23rd at NCAA Cross Country Championships

Cal Poly sophomore Peyton Bilo earned All-America status at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday morning, finishing in 23rd place at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Bilo, coming off her Big West Conference championship last weekend, ran the 6K course in 20 minutes, 14.4 seconds battling almost 20-mph winds on an overcast, 37-degree day in the Wabash Valley.

The top-40 finishers among the field of 255 made the All-America Team.

Starting from Box 39 alongside New Hampshire’s Elinor Purrier and Rice teammates Katie Jensen and Abigail Cartwright, Bilo averaged a mile pace of 5:25.6.

At the Division I meet, Bilo’s finish becomes the eighth All-America accolade in Mustang cross country history.

It was the 17th season since 1995 that Cal Poly has been represented, as well as the second straight national championships appearance for Bilo (who came in 172nd place as a freshman in Louisville).

Oregon edged Michigan for the team trophy, 125-126. Missouri junior Karissa Schweizer outkicked Wolverine senior Erin Finn to claim the individual national title in an upset, 19:41.6 to 19:44.2.

This story was originally published November 19, 2016 at 1:19 PM with the headline "Cal Poly’s Peyton Bilo finishes 23rd at NCAA Cross Country Championships."