TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- John Brown University freshman Abigail Stucker placed 89th out of 331 runners at the 46th Annual NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championships at the Apalachee Regional Park on Friday morning (Nov. 21).
Stucker's time of 22:48 over the 6,000-meter course ranks as the sixth-fastest in program history and the second-fastest by a Golden Eagle at the NAIA National Championships. She finished as the second-fastest runner from the Sooner Athletic in the field, trailing only Oklahoma City's Erika Pena (21:51) and even besting SAC champion Juliana Molina (22:58) of Texas Wesleyan.
"Abigail had a strong day," head coach Peter Cunningham said of Stucker's performance. "I'm incredibly proud of how she has embraced the role of our top runner this year. Her steady and joyful spirit is a true blessing to the team. I'm very pleased with how her freshman year has begun."
Taylor (Ind.) claimed the team championship, while Jaynie Halterman of Taylor won the individual title in a meet-record time of 20:13. Ellen-Mary Kearney of Milligan (Tenn.) finished second in 20:43, while Heather Murphy of Montreat (N.C.) rounded out the top three in 20:46.
Milligan earned the team runners-up spot with 109 points, while Dordt (Iowa) claimed third place with 136 points.
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