Jackson, Miss.- Blue Mountain Christian women's cross country battled through adversity to earn a fourth-place team finish at the Belhaven Invitational on Saturday, finishing with 88 points in the 6K hosted by Belhaven University.
The Toppers entered the race dealing with last-minute injuries that forced adjustments to the lineup and called on several runners to step into bigger roles. BMCU responded with a pair of top six finishes and three runners inside the top 20.
Kaedyn Wilson led the way for the Toppers, placing fifth overall in the 67-runner field with a time of 24:45.2. Ella Shepherd crossed just behind her, taking sixth in 25:02.8.
Lauren Paul gave BMCU its third finisher inside the top 20, placing 16th overall with a time of 26:06.2.
Ruth Hutchinson crossed in 27th with a time of 27:31.7, while freshman Josie Meeks stepped up to round out BMCU's scoring five with a 37th-place finish in 29:16.6.
"I was really proud of the way our runnerscan you make individual responded today," BMCU head coach Phillip Laney said. "We had some last-minute injuries that forced us to make adjustments, and we had runners step up in a big way when their team needed them. That says a lot about the toughness of this group and the way they compete for one another."
Leah Montgomery completed the Topper lineup, finishing 47th with a time of 32:04.1.
BMCU's top five combined for a total time of 2:12:43 and an average of 26:33 as the Toppers battled through the changes to secure fourth place with 88 points.
 
Individual Results
 
5th — Kaedyn Wilson — 24:45.2
6th — Ella Shepherd — 25:02.8
16th — Lauren Paul — 26:06.2
27th — Ruth Hutchinson — 27:31.7
37th — Josie Meeks — 29:16.6
47th — Leah Montgomery — 32:04.1
 
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