MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Junior Kelly McClure finished 19th individually to lead the Central Michigan University women’s cross country team to a sixth-place finish at the Mid-American Conference Championships on Saturday. The meet was hosted by CMU at Riverwood Resort in Mount Pleasant, Mich.

McClure finished the 5K course in 18:27 to lead the way for the Chippewas. Amanda Rudert was CMU’s second runner, finishing 29th (18:37).

“Kelly has improved so much in the past year,” CMU head coach Karen Lutzke said. “She was our top runner in nearly every meet this season after finishing as our fifth runner at the MAC Championships and the NCAA Regional last season.”

Freshman Melissa Darling (35th, 18:45), senior Elizabeth Carpenter (45th, 18:57) and junior Michelle Diverio (46th, 19:04) rounded out CMU’s scorers.

The Chippewas finished with 174 points as a squad. Ohio University repeated as MAC Champion with 56 points, followed by Akron (58), Miami (77), Toledo (89) and Ball State (135).

With a squad that features just two seniors, CMU’s young team gained a great deal of experience in a high-pressure situation.

“The MAC meet is different than any other meet that we compete in because it means so much,” Lutzke said. “It’s a great stepping-stone for us and we’ll only get better.”

CMU shifts its attention to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional meet, hosted by Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday, Nov. 10.