Women's Cross Country | 11/21/2015 1:15:00 PM

Joplin, Mo.---The Wingate University women's cross country team finished 29th (out of 32 teams) in the 2015 NCAA Division II national championship meet Saturday at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course. The Bulldogs defeated Roberts Wesleyan, St. Thomas Aquinas and Union (Tenn.) in their fifth team visit to the national championship meet (complete NCAA meet results).

Wingate junior Alyssa Johnson (San Jose, Calif.) was the Bulldogs' top finisher, placing 112th with a 6K time of 22:18.1. A 2015 CoSIDA Academic All-America®, Johnson is one of six NCAA national meet participants Wingate head coach Ashley Vaughn Glover will welcome back for the 2016 season.
 
"It was great to achieve lifetime PRs today on a rolling course," Glover says. "Each of the girls gave all they had during the race and that is all I can ask of them."
 
Two Bulldogs finished within 30 seconds of Johnson. Redshirt freshman Sydney Lautzenheiser (North Canton, Ohio) posted a 6K time of 22:41.0, while senior Samantha Haering (Chalfont, Pa.) concluded her remarkable Wingate cross country career with a 6K posting of 22:48.7.
 
Sophomore Valerie Griesche (Ingolstadt, Germany) was next on the Bulldog charts, recording a 6K time of 23:04.7. WU junior Morgan Neher (Sedalia, Colo.) and sophomore Madison Hiatt (Fresno, Calif.) finished (almost) simultaneously with 6K times of 23:14.4 and 23:15.6, respectively. Sophomore Juliet Salgueiro (Savannah, Ga.) ran a 23:28.3 Saturday.
 
"Today was another step forward," Glover says. "It was a reminder of where we are going next as a program. Now that we have proven we can contend as a national caliber team, our next step will be to start sliding student-athletes into the top 40 individual performances."
 
Adams State (Colo.) University won the team title with 83 points, 14 more than second-place Grand Valley State (Mich.) University. Individually, University of Mary (N.D.) sophomore Alexis Zeis (Bismarck, N.D.) took the checkered flag with her 6K time of 20:03.4. Wingate's Johnson was the number six finisher from the Southeast Region. 

Wingate women's XC
NCAA championship history
 
Individual participation (site)
2003 – Natalie Creech Topper (Cary, N.C.)
2006 – Amber Hines (Pensacola, Fla.)
2012 – Keeley Wood (Joplin, Mo.)
 
Team participation
2004 – Evansville, Ind.
2007 – Joplin, Mo.
2013 – Spokane, Wash.
2014 – Louisville, Ky.
2015 – Joplin, Mo.