KAHUKU, Hawai'i – Improvement is the name off the game in cross country, and improve Hawai'i Hilo runners did on Saturday morning at the Hawai'i Pacific Invitational at the Kahuku Golf Course on O'ahu's north shore.

It was the final tune-up for Hawai'i Hilo runners before the conference championship in two weeks, on the same course that they began the 2017 season on at the Big Wave Invitational. The Vulcans ran only four runners and did not compute into the team results, but Anna Baker-Mikkelsen finished third overall behind two Hawai'i Pacific runners and in front of three other Shark harriers.

Baker-Mikkelsen ran 20:14 on the grass course, 20 seconds better than she ran on the same path on Labor Day Saturday. She also defeated two Hawai'i Pacific runners today that finished in front of her the last time they raced on this course.

"Anna ran a good race, by herself most of the time," head coach Jaimie Guerpo said. "All four runners improved from the last time we were here a month ago, and that's what we are looking for as we try to peak in two weeks at the conference championships."

Beatriz Duarte (Watsonville, Calif./Watsonville) finished seventh in the race, which featured runners from host Hawai'i Pacific, Chaminade and a few runners from the University of Hawai'i. Duarte's time was 20:37, which was 31 seconds faster than the beginning of the season (21:08). Meghan Langbehn (Folsom, Calif./Folsom HS) was eighth in 21:03 (she ran 21:11 before) and Lizette Garcia (Watsonville, Calif./Watsonville) was clocked in 22:01 today, compared to 22:47 on Sept. 2. Reyna Garcia Lopez (Oxnard, Calif./Adolfo Camarillo) did not run, pulling out before the race with a slight injury.

Hawai'i Pacific's Kimberly Carter was the race winner in 19:31, followed by teammate Brooke Gottmeier in 19:40.

Next for the Vulcans are the Pacific West Conference Championships on Saturday, Oct. 21 in Belmont, California.