SALEM, Ore.—The University of Hawai'i cross country team continued its upward trend in the 2022 campaign, placing second overall in the Charles Bowles Invitational Saturday morning.
 
The Rainbow Wahine placed in the top three overall for the third time in two meets this season, including two top-five finishers and four in the top 20, equaling 78 points overall. Seattle University, led by head coach Kelly Sullivan finished first in the field of 17 teams with 70 points. Head Coach Tim Boyce and Sullivan coached together at Willamette University, the host of Saturday's sight in the late 1990s, with Boyce serving as Kelly's assistant.
 
"Solid day, team performance was great, excellent improvements from our last one," said Boyce. "Two in the top-five and four in the top 20 was encouraging. We continue to narrow the gap to our fifth scoring runner."
 
For the third time, season senior Caelan Miller led the 'Bows with a third-place finish, crossing the finish line at 18:02.3, narrowly beating out Teresa Perez of Portland as she clocked in at 18:02.8. Fellow senior Sophia Morgan paced just behind Miller at 18:07.8 for fifth place. Freshman Keilah Wilkes and sophomore Sam North finished back-to-back at 19th and 20th. All four student-athletes improved on their 5k times compared to their first meet of the season nearly a month ago in the Big Wave Invitational.
 
As a team, UH turned in a total time of 1:32.57, averaging 18:36 for the race, equaling the same time as front-runner Seattle. The two differences were UH recording two top-five finishes, outdueling the Redhawks with their top two finishes coming in at seventh and eighth. Each squad's fifth runner made the difference, with Seattle coming at 34th, compared to UH at 42nd overall.
 
UH will return to action in two weeks with the Bronco Invitational in Sunnyvale, California on Oct. 15. The meet will be the final tuneup for the 'Bows in preparation for the Big West Championships set to take place on Oct. 29 in Riverside, Calif.