Indiana State University Newsroom

An Indiana State University team finished in eighth place among 54 entries in the 2015 Air Race Classic, a cross-country race for female aviators.

The team was made of Cathi Sweatt, flying her own plane, co-pilot Melanie Abel, an aviation instructor at Indiana State, and Katelyn Walters, a senior professional aviation student from Rockville as the third teammate.

An all-student team placed eighth among 17 collegiate entries and 26th overall. That team - The Flying Sycamores - consisted of pilot Kayleigh Border, a senior from Flora, co-pilot Chelsea Noel, a May graduate from Fort Wayne, and teammate Brittany Danko of Corydon, who just completed her freshman year.

A student team from Southern Illinois University won the 2,200-mile event while Purdue finished 47th.

Photo: http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-PrGw4w8/0/X3/i-PrGw4w8-X3.jpg - Indiana State University aviation instructor Melanie Abel (left) and students Katelynn Walters and Cathi Weatt show off their medals from the 2015 Air Race Classic Saturday, June 27, in Fairhope, Ala. The team finished the cross-country race for female aviators in eighth place among 54 entries.

Media contact: Dave Taylor, media relations director, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-3743 or dave.taylor@indstate.edu