FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- The John Brown University women's cross country team finished 14th out of 23 teams participating in the Chile Pepper Festival, hosted by the University of Arkansas at Agri Park, on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 28).
The Golden Eagles completed the 5,000-meter race with a combined team time of 1:50:37.70, averaging 22:07.54 per runner. JBU finished with a 1-5 split time of 3:33, wider than most races, but expected in the packed field of 188 runners.
Leading the charge for JBU was freshman Anna Keys, who turned in a stellar performance, finishing 20th overall with a time of 19:47.9. Esther Norwood, also a freshman, crossed the line in 64th place with a time of 21:42.1, further strengthening JBU's scoring presence. Sophomore Lexie Scheufler finished 101st in 22:48.9, contributing to the team's solid finish.
Freshman Hannah Foster followed closely, finishing 109th with a time of 22:58.1, while senior Olivia Scates rounded out the top five scorers for the Golden Eagles, placing 120th in 23:20.7.
In addition to the top five scorers, Ryleigh Hale and Hannah Hawk also represented JBU. Hale finished 124th overall with a time of 23:32.8, while Hawk broke the tape in 178th place, clocking 29:21.8.
The individual race was won by Emina Alagic (unattached), who completed the course in 17:29.7. In the team competition, Saint Mary (Neb.) secured first place with 79 points, finishing with a cumulative time of 1:39:18.50 and an average time of 19:51.70. Butler Community College finished second with 88 points and a total time of 1:37:39.10, averaging 19:31.82 per runner. Missouri S&T rounded out the top three, placing third with 154 points and a team time of 1:42:36.50, averaging 20:31.30.
The harriers return to the course on Saturday (Oct. 5) when the Golden Eagles host its first meet in program history, scheduled to take place at Pollard Field in Siloam Springs.
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