After completing a successful season, the Mustangs will defend their title at the Conference USA tournament on Oct. 31 in Houston, Texas.

According to the latest poll by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, SMU is ranked No. 24 overall, the only C-USA team to rank in the top-25 nationally.

SMU started out strong at the beginning of the season, taking first at the TCU Cross Country Opener and the North Texas Invitational. The team placed eighth out of 22 teams at the Notre Dame Invitational, which featured several top teams, including then-No. 1 Washington. At the Chile Pepper Invitational, the Mustangs landed at fifth place out of the 34 teams that competed.

At the Notre Dame Invitational, junior Silje Fjortoft finished eighth out of 178 runners with a time of 16:58. This past week at the Chile Pepper Invitational, freshmen Mary Alenbratt (21:28:25) and Veronika Blom (21:36:35) crossed the finish line at 13th and 19th respectively.