Fontbonne University freshman Rachel Hanson (Rossview HS, Clarksville, TN) became the first women in school history to win the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Women’s Cross Country Individual Championship this past weekend in Hillsboro, Illinois.

Hanson led Saturday’s race from starting gun to finish line, as she sprinted the hilly 6000meter course in a blazing time of 23:37. Fontbonne University Head Coach Dave Almany said Hanson was dominant despite coming back from an injury. He said she jumped out to an amazing start with a blistering first mile under 6:00.

“Rachel has been nursing an injury for the last three weeks, but she wanted to go out strong and see if anyone was willing to run with her. They weren’t,” Almany said. “It was a gutsy decision on her part, and she was never seriously challenged.”

Rachel’s performance helped led Fontbonne to a second place finish overall in the meet. It is the school strongest showing at the conference meet to date.