Lakeland, Fla. --- The Women's Mississippi College Cross Country team finished fifth at the 2022 NCAA South Region Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 19. The six-kilometer race was contested at Holloway Park in Lakeland, Fla., the home course of Sunshine State Conference School Florida Southern University. The Regional contest consisted of teams from the Gulf South Conference, the Sunshine State Conference, and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The top finisher from Mississippi College was Jazmin Hernandez, the 5K(XC) and 6K(XC) school record holder, covering the six-kilometer course in a time of 21:50.0. The Georgetown, Tex. native finished eighth overall, and will be up for an at-large selection bid to the 2022 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.
Sophomore Lauren Wallace also secured a spot on the 2022 NCAA South Region Cross Country team, finishing 21st in 22:19.9.
Bre Bell(26th, 22:29.3), Emily Berry(38th, 22:51.3), and Norma Gutierrez(52nd, 23:21.8) rounded out the scoring five for the Lady Choctaws.
Haley Hall and Kathy Hammond also posted impressive performances. Hall ran 23:28.4 to finish 57th, and Hammond 25:03.1 to finish 92nd.
Head Coach Matthew Reneker
-Commenting on the team's performance and looking ahead to the future.
"I am very proud of the women's program. We walked in as the underdog, set very high goals, and fell just short. That type of attitude only propels our program forward."
Post-race notes
-Hernandez ran faster than her 6K performance at the 2021 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.
-The entire scoring five of Hernandez, Lauren Wallace, Bre Bell, Emily Berry, and Norma Gutierrez either ran lifetime bests or ran the second-fastest time of their careers.
-The Lady Choctaws finished as the second Gulf South Conference school at the 2022 NCAA South Region Cross Country Championships.
-Hernandez's time of 21:50 is 5:51 mile pace for 3.75 miles.
Important links:
2022 NCAA South Region Cross Country Championships Results
Women's Cross Country finishes second at 2022 GSC XC Championship
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