by SHAWNEE, Okla. – Niamh O’Connor led Oklahoma City University with a third-place showing in the Oklahoma Baptist Invitational on Saturday at the Gordon Cooper Technology Center.
O’Connor and Michaela Werner gave OCU two runners in the top five of the individual standings. The Stars, ranked 21st in NAIA women’s cross country, posted a second-place finish in the team standings with 45 points.
O’Connor, a freshman from Ballyhagan, Carbury County, Ireland, completed the 5,000-meter race in 18 minutes, 7.47 seconds. Werner, a sophomore from Grove, Okla., crossed the finish in 18:19.15, good for fourth.
All of OCU’s runners finished in the top 56. Taylor Harrill, a sophomore from Cache, Okla., took 11th with an 18:38.28, and Rileigh Darby-McClure, a senior from Colorado Springs, Colo., collected 13th with a time of 18:58.72 for the Stars. Kassidy Williams (Kiowa/Creek), a freshman from Anadarko, Okla., turned in a 14th-place finish with a 19:03.00.
OCU’s Tyler Berge, a freshman from Enid, Okla., recorded a time of 19:18.97 and 22nd-place showing, while Anna Palacios, a freshman from Greeley, Colo., placed 27th with a 19:38.66. Kaitlin Pontikes, a senior from Elgin, Okla., finished in 21:01.06 for Oklahoma City.
The meet happened in 61-degree temperatures with no wind.
The Stars run in the NAIA Mid-States Classic on Oct. 24 in Winfield, Kan.
Results
