Bright Lights Spark Personal Best Times for EC Runners at Nike XC Town Twilight Invitational

The prestigious event was held October 2 in Terre Haute

Photo provided.

(Terre Haute, Ind.) - The East Central High School girls cross country team competed on one of the most celebrated stages in distance running at the Nike XC Town Twilight Invitational. 

The prestigious event took place October 2 at the historic LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute. 

The Lady Trojans delivered a great performance, racing through the evening darkness on a brilliantly illuminated course.

The nighttime atmosphere and cooler conditions sparked an offensive on the record books. In a stunning collective display of grit and peaking fitness, almost every single East Central runner clocked a lifetime personal record. 

Senior leader Lily Gambrel set the pace for the team. She ran a solid race, crossing the finish line first for the Trojans in a 20:24.36 to take 23rd place out of 256 runners. Right on her heels was teammate Alyssa Donawerth, who secured a heavy Season Best of 20:44.94 to finish 37th overall.  Behind the front duo, the rest of the varsity roster ignited their own historic performances:

• Josie West shattered her previous marks to cross the line in 22:18.59.
• Harper Hiltz kept the momentum rolling with a huge personal best of 23:55.86.
• Grace Jacobsen lunged across the line at 23:57.44 to log her own major PR.
• Layla Gambrel pulled off perhaps the most dramatic breakthrough of the evening. She sliced nearly two full minutes off her career best to finish at 23:58.74.

East Central High School combined for a 13th-place team finish out of 29 competitive programs.

See full results at Nike XC Town Twilight - Oct 2 – 3, 2026 | midwesttiming