The Moody Bible Institute Women's Cross Country Team won their 7th, NCCAA Division II National Championships this past Saturday. The championship was hosted for the second year in a row by the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, MO. The Lady Archers finished first as a team with 43 points, with Bob-Jones University claiming second place with 71, and Alice Lloyd College taking home third with 91.
Junior Summer Pierson finished second in the nation with a time of 19:54, just twelve seconds behind two-time champion Kimberly Buskirk of Grace Christian University. Mara Johnson was next for the Archers with a time of 20:40, placing sixth overall, with Emi Snyder following closely in 20:52 to place eighth overall. Juliana Escobedo pushed through to a 22:12 finish, placing 15th overall, with Grace DeValois running strong in 22:17 and finishing in 17th place. Katie Nicholas and Mystique Kalat were the final two to score for the Archers, finishing in 22:41 and 22:45, and taking 20th and 21st place overall. Brave effort was also shown by Victoria Benegas(27th), Rachael Miller(29th), Hannah Berkoski (32nd), and Mollie Hansen (35th) as they pushed through the hilly course.
Coach Troy “I am deeply honored to coach such a great group of young ladies! Their love for the Lord and each other is an awesome thing to watch. I am thankful that God blessed us with this National Championship and giving the girls strength to run a really difficult course. I will deeply miss my 4 seniors and want to thank them for all their hard work through the years!”