FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. / CLINTON, Miss. — The Mississippi College cross country program turned in a strong weekend across two meets, highlighted by an outstanding performance from the women's team at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas, while several individuals posted solid results at the Belhaven Invitational in Clinton.
The Lady Choctaws finished eighth out of 31 teams with 261 points in one of the nation's most competitive regular-season events. MC posted an average time of 17:59.8, placing ahead of nationally ranked programs No. 19 Missouri Southern and No. 30 Northwest Missouri, as well as Division I schools UAB and Oral Roberts.
Lauren Wallace led the way for the Choctaws with a 21st-place finish in 17:19.9, followed by Taylor Benoit in 26th (17:25.2) and Bre Bell in 34th (17:30.3). Kate Finch (18:39.1) and Kinley Harris (18:45.3) rounded out the scoring five, while Audrey Mayatte (19:03.4) and Gabrielle Jeffrey (19:15.5) added valuable depth to the lineup.
On the men's side, Mississippi College placed 17th out of 32 teams with 478 points against a field that featured nationally ranked opponents including No. 9 Northwest Missouri, No. 26 Missouri Southern, and No. 29 East Central (Okla.). Cooper Parmer led the Choctaws with an 89th-place finish in 25:33.0, followed by Baxter Friedman (25:42.3), Christian Balcer (25:45.0), Sidney Stegall (25:48.1), Matthew Singletary (26:25.1), and Colin Brannon (26:34.7).
While the primary squads competed in Arkansas, several Choctaws raced individually at the Belhaven Invitational, gaining valuable experience on their home course.
For the women, Catherine Wallace led MC with an 11th-place finish in 23:04.08, followed by Shana Sellers (15th, 24:13.08), Lilly Jensen (19th, 25:02.65), and Brookelyn Bidinger (33rd, 28:16.82) in a field of 71 runners.
On the men's side, Samuel Hodson finished 21st overall in 28:39.96, with Matthew Meadows close behind in 22nd (28:43.60) and Evan Wrights placing 31st (29:39.11) out of 70 competitors.
The Choctaws will return to action Thursday, October 17, when they host the Watson Cross Country Classic at Choctaw Trails in Clinton. The meet is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m.
