ST. LOUIS - Southeast Missouri State junior Kaitlyn Shea won her second straight race to start the season Friday, taking home the title at the Forest Park Cross Country Festival.
Shea (Helias High School) posted a winning time of 18:24.61, finishing 24 seconds ahead of runner-up Courtney Link of Saint Louis.
"She has put in a lot of work to get to the next level, so when she gets into every race, she's just got this killer instinct," Southeast Missouri head coach Ryan Lane said of Shea in a press release.
Only two NCAA Division I schools participated in the meet. Southeast Missouri finished second behind Saint Louis.
Shea's first win of the season came Sept. 1 in the Eastern Illinois Walt Crawford Open. She posted a winning time of 17:48.90, nearly seven seconds ahead of second-place Maria Baldwin of Eastern Illinois.
Southeast Missouri competes next in the Louisville Classic on Sept. 30.