TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Rocky Mountain College runner Sydney Little Light placed third overall at the NAIA national cross country championships on Friday, finishing the women's 5K race in a time of 17:25.6.
Lina May of William Carey (Miss.) won the title by crossing the finish line in 16:50.9. Addy Wiley of Huntington (Ind.) took second in 16:58.9.
It was the second consecutive top-three finish at nationals for Little Light after placing second overall last year at the NAIA meet in Vancouver, Washington. Little Light ran almost 40 seconds faster in this year's race compared to last year.
Hailey Nielson of Montana Tech was the other Frontier Conference runner to place in the top 50. Nielson finished in 35th place with a time of 18:07.1. Taylor (Ind.) won the overall women's team title with 50 points. Carroll College came in 22nd while Rocky placed 25th.
In the men's 8K, Rocky's Jackson Wilson was the highest-placing Frontier runner in 16th place. Wilson finished with a time of 24:34.3, a new Rocky record.
The men's champion was Abraham Chelangam of Oklahoma City, who won with a time of 23:41.9. Dordt (Iowa) won the men's team championship with 97 points. The Carroll College men placed 25th overall.
The other Frontier men's runner to finish in the top 50 was Edwin Kipainoi of Montana Tech, who took 31st in 24:45.0.
For full results and final team scores, click here.
