MONTEVALLO, Ala. --- The Mississippi College Women's Cross Country finished second in an NCAA Division I heavy field at the 2022 UAB Blazer Classic, a mere six points behind the University of Memphis.
Jazim Hernandez led the way for the Lady Choctaws in a 6K(XC) school record time of 21:30.9, 20 seconds faster than her previous school record that she set at the 2021 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. Hernandez finished fifth overall.
Mississippi College sophomore Lauren Wallace had a phenomenal second half to join her teammate in the top 10, running a lifetime best of 22:01.4.
Emily Berry, Haley Hall, and Norma Gutierrez rounded out the scoring five running, 22:31.1, 22:53.0, and 22:54.9, respectively. Bre Bell was also under the 23-minute barrier, right behind her teammates in 22:56.7.
The Lady Choctaws not only had the fastest scoring five average for the 6K distance in school history, but also came through the 5K mark faster than the 5K average school record of 18:23.
"As a whole, we were not really surprised because today was just a product of a lot of hard work. The reason we were able to execute a day like this is that we believed that we were capable.", exclaimed Wallace on the women's team performance today. "Lots of things are coming together for our girls' team, and we support each other throughout the whole process. We've been expecting big things all season, and it's super exciting to see it come together like it did today."
The women of Mississippi College had nine total PR's on the day:
Jazmin Hernandez - 21:30.9
Lauren Wallace - 22:01.4
Emily Berry - 22:31.1
Haley Hall - 22:53.0
Norma Guiterrez - 22:54.9
Bre Bell - 22:56.7
Ava Dickerson - 23:41.4
Mia Hyme - 23:52.1
Caroline Perry - 24:20.1
The Lady Choctaws have one more regular season meet, which will be held at Choctaw Trails on Saturday, Oct. 22, before they travel back to the University of Montevallo to race in the 2022 Gulf South Conference Cross Country Championships.
RESULTS: 2022 UAB Blazer Classic
