BOONE, N.C.- Gabrielle Cortese (Franklin Springs, Ga / Athens Christian School) and Claire Cates (Hillsborough, N.C. / Orange High School) finished 38th and 41st respectively as the Gardner-Webb Cross Country women's cross country team finished in eighth place at the Blue Ridge Open, which was the last meet before the 2014 Big South Cross Country Championships on Nov. 1

Cortese was the first Runnin' Bulldog to cross the finish line for GWU, as she finished the 5K race with a  time of 20:13.11. This is the third time in the four races this season, that Cortese has finished as the top runner for Gardner-Webb.

Cates was not far behind Cortese when she crossed the finish line, as she completed the race in a time of 20:17.35.

Jenna Ford (Wasilla, Alaska / Wasilla H.S.) and Sydney Davis (Granite Falls, N.C. / South Caldwell H.S.) each had impressive runs for GWU, as Ford finished the 5K race in 20:45.61, while Davis finished in 67th place with a time of 21:13.14

Rachel White (King, N.C. / West Stokes H.S) and Michaela Williams (Nashville, N.C. / Nash Central H.S.) also ran for Gardner-Webb and finished in 88th (23:33.45) and 89th (23:36.21) respectively.

In the men's 6K race, Christopher Lile (Waynesville, N.C. / Homeschool) paced the Runnin' Bulldogs as he placed 77th with a time of 23:44.70. Mckinley Gray (New Bern, N.C. / The Epiphany School), Matthew Cook (Connelly Springs, N.C. / East Burke High School) and Aaron Cronk (West Jefferson, N.C. / Ashe County High School) also ran in the 6K race for GWU, as they finished with times of 25:36.44, 26:14.12, and 26:41.93 respectively.

The Gardner-Webb men's cross country did not have a team score, as it only had four runners competing in the meet.

This was the last tune-up race for both the Gardner-Webb men's and women's cross country teams before it is set to host the 2014 Big South Cross Country Championships which is scheduled to be run in Boiling Springs, N.C. The women's race is scheduled for a 10:30 a.m. start while the men's race will be run at 11:30 a.m.