With just two meets left before the Southern Conference championships, the Elon University women's cross country team got its first win ever on its home course in the Elon Invitational.

This win is the second in a row for the women, and the importance of these wins in preparation for the SoCon is not lost on the runners, junior Emily Tryon said.

"Every meet helps you work on our competitive edge," she said. "It makes us stronger and more competitive."

Tryon finished third overall and first for the Phoenix, with a time of 18:09, with three other Elon women in the Top 10: junior Morgan Denecke in fourth at 18:12, sophomore Allyson Oram in sixth at 18:19 and freshman Haylee Dawe in seventh at 18:21.

The women's win came after finishing in second the past two years in their own event.

The men finished in third overall. Freshman Luis Vargas had to pull out because of an ankle injury. Vargas had led the Phoenix for most of the race before having to stop.

Senior Conor O'Brien instead finished first for Elon with a time of 26 minutes, the only Elon male runner in the Top 10.

Injuries are something that both teams have to avoid, Tryon and O'Brien said.

"If we keep everyone healthy, we're good to go for conference," O'Brien said.

This part of the year is tough, when coursework starts to pile up and the students start getting less and less sleep, head coach Christine Engel said.

"It's important to keep training but focus on keeping everyone healthy," she said,

Tryon agreed, saying staying injury-free through practice and the next two competitions was key for the teams.

The next meet is the Charlotte XC Invitational Sept. 30, and the team is preparing to work a lot until then, Engel said.

"We have to train hard the next two weeks, getting back on the horse (Sunday)," she said. "All the races now carry a lot of weight."

The next two races will help the team not only get more long-distance training, but it will also give the team a chance to see more of its competition, she said.

Both teams will keep a consistent practice schedule, Tryon said, with workouts twice a week, long runs on Sundays and basic runs the rest of the week. The runners are holding one another accountable.

With consistency and a continuation of the teams' accomplishments so far, the teams are on target to be at their peaks come time for the SoCon, O'Brien said.

"We have to keep at it," he said. "We have to keep doing what we've been doing all season."