TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Results) – Taylor (Ind.) captured its first national championship by claiming the 43rd Annual NAIA Women’s Cross Country National Championship at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee on Friday.

Taylor posted 50 points as a team, edging out Milligan (Tenn.) in second with 177 points. The College of Idaho took third with 201 points, while St. Francis (Ill.) came in fourth with 203 points. Cornerstone (Mich.) rounded out the top-five teams with 211 points.

The Trojans placed all five scoring runners in the top 20, capturing the 4th, 6th, 9th, 12th, and 19th positions.

From the gun, Lina May of William Carey (Miss.) took an aggressive lead and charged to the finish to claim the 5K win, crossing the finish line in 16 minutes, 50.9 seconds. Addy Wiley of Huntington (Ind.) was the second harrier to cross the line in 16:58.9.

Sydney Little Light of Rocky Mountain (Mont.) took third in 17:25.6 while a battle between Abbey Brennan of Taylor and Alex Ebetino of St. Francis (Ind.) capped off the top five. Brennan edged Ebetino finishing 17:28.3 and 17:29.2, respectively.

Following the race, Taylor’s head coach Quinn White was named the 2022 NAIA Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. This is White’s second coach of the year honor, being named the men’s coach of the year in 2021.

The top 40 individual finishers were named 2022 NAIA Women’s Cross Country All-Americans.

 Photo credit: Don Juan Moore