SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Bellarmine University cross country produced three all-time top 50 performances as the Knights competed Friday in Notre Dame's National Catholic Invite.

It was Bellarmine's first time competing in the Fighting Irish's annual race since 2018. This year marked the 45th iteration of the event.

Senior Nolan Hester paced Bellarmine's men in 23rd, and his 24:41.3 ranks as the 15th-best 8k time in program history. Hester now owns four of the program's all-time top 15 marks.

Junior Chase Atkins followed Hester in 25th, and his 24:46.9 ranks 21st all-time. Atkins has now been responsible for seven of the program's top 50 performances.

Junior Alex Hooten placed 29th and cracked the all-time top 50 for the first time, ranking 26th after finishing in 24:52.1. Hooten powered into 10th all-time on the program's performance list.

Senior Josh Meiman placed 38th (25:24.3) and senior D.K. Schnieders took 40th (25:33.4) to complete Bellarmine's scoring. As a team, the Knights placed fourth of 12, with Notre Dame finishing first.

Senior Trisha Sexton topped Bellarmine's women in 50th (19:22.7) in the 5k race. Senior Hannah Ellis was next in 58th (19:30.3) followed by senior Taylor White in 80th (20:17.1), freshman Ginger Atzinger in 83rd (20:22.3) and senior Erin Luckett in 95th (20:38.6) to round out the Knights' scoring. Bellarmine placed 10th as a team, with Notre Dame also finishing first on the women's side.

Bellarmine will compete Oct. 5 at the Live in Lou Class at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park.

Bellarmine Women's Results (5k)
50. Trisha Sexton 19:22.7, 58. Hannah Ellis 19:30.3, 80. Taylor White 20:17.1, 83. Ginger Atzinger 20:22.3, 95. Erin Luckett 20:38.6, 97. Molly Moore 20:42.7, 99. Justice Pohlman-Singleton 20:45.7, 105. Shaianne Overall 20:56.7, 110. Sarah Jacob 21:21.2, 114. Ellerie Heinzmann 21:30.8, 119. Katie Schweigardt 21:50.4, 132. Madison Adkins 23:02.2

Bellarmine Men's Results (8k)
23. Nolan Hester 24:41.3, 25. Chase Atkins 24:46.9, 29. Alex Hooten 24:52.1, 38. Josh Meiman 25:24.3, 40. D.K. Schnieders 25:33.4, 46. Jackson Gawarecki 25:39.1, 56. Hunter Griffin 25:59.5, 60. Ben Hunter 26:06.9, 67. Chase Austin 26:21.7, 68. Jack Ballard 26:22.6, 85. Jimmy Dillabaugh 26:44.0, 88. Sherjeel Khan 26:47.8, 90. Ryan Burchett 26:48.9, 106. Salah Farah 27:39.7, 123. Peter Dalmares 28:30.8

For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow BUKnights on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.