HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The Catawba College women's cross country team delivered an impressive performance Saturday morning at the UAH Chargers XC Invitational, earning a runner-up finish in a competitive 38-team field while finishing ahead of two top-25 nationally ranked opponents.
The Catawba Indians totaled 105 points to finish second overall, just 11 points behind team champion Tampa (94). Catawba finished ahead of No. 10 Lee (Tenn.), which placed third with 110 points, and No. 23 Cedarville, which finished fifth with 170 points.
Senior Hannah Caudill led the charge for Catawba, earning an eighth-place individual finish with a time of 21:04.3 in the women's 6,000-meter race. Caudill's performance marked a personal best and secured a top-10 finish in the competitive field.
Sophomore Mandi Pollard followed with another strong showing, crossing the finish line in 14th place with a personal-best time of 21:16.2. Fellow sophomore Morgan Pollard added a 24th-place finish, clocking a personal-best 21:35.5 to give the Catawba Indians three runners inside the top 25.
Junior Eden Barnwell continued Catawba's impressive showing, placing 25th with a personal-best time of 21:37.0, finishing just one position behind Morgan Pollard.
Senior Justine Sanchez rounded out Catawba's scoring five with a 34th-place finish, crossing the line in a personal-best 21:48.9. Catawba placed all five scoring runners among the top 35 finishers, with just 44.6 seconds separating its first and fifth runners.
Freshman Eva Montayne added a 91st-place finish with a time of 22:46.1, while junior Joanna Owczarz rounded out Catawba's seven competitors in 136th place with a time of 23:24.8.
The Indians' second-place finish was highlighted by five personal-best performances among their scoring runners.
Tampa claimed the team championship with 94 points, while Catawba followed closely with 105. No. 10 Lee finished third with 110 points, Embry-Riddle placed fourth with 168 and No. 23 Cedarville rounded out the top five with 170.
Catawba closes out the regular season with its next test being the South Atlantic Conference Championships Nov. 7 in Wingate, N.C.
