Results
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 22nd-ranked Harding University women’s cross country team outperformed expectations and placed 19th at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships on Saturday.
Harding’s top finisher was senior Katy Grant who improved on her 126th-place finish last year by placing 44th on Saturday. The Mustang, Okla., native finished the six-kilometer race in 22 minutes, 23 seconds and just missed earning All-America honors, which go to the top 40 runners.
As a team, Harding finished with 441 points and improved on a 20th-place finish at last year’s nationals. Adams State, located in Alamosa, Colo., won the team competition with 73 points. Adams State’s five scoring runners all finished in the top 26. Jessica Pixler, a senior at Seattle Pacific, won the individual title in 20:22. It was her record-setting third individual championship.
Harding junior Rysper Sirma was the Lady Bisons’ second finisher, placing 75th in 22:55. She was followed by teammates Esther Kosgei (95th, 23:16), Gladys Kimtai (112th, 23:32), Naomi Landecker (115th, 23:34), Mary Samoei (145th, 24:24) and Laura Lovett (154th, 25:09).