Columbia, Mo. – Senior Olivia Mathis (Akron, Ohio/Lourdes/St. Vincent-St. Mary) ran the second-fastest time in program history in a 6K race and senior Lexi Clarke (Plainfield, Ill./Joliet JC/Plainfield South) recorded her fourth-best career time in the 6K for the Saint Xavier University women's cross country team at the 45^th annual NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championship Friday morning at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo.

Mathis finished 80^th out of a field of 326 runners with a time of 22:31.7, while Clarke crossed the finish line at 23:34.6 to place 192^nd. Mathis, a two-time qualifier for the event, ran over two minutes and forty-five seconds faster than she did a season ago when the NAIA National Championships were held in Vancouver, Wash. Jaynie Halterman from No. 1 Taylor University (Ind.) won the race with a time of 20:24.7. No. 4 The Master's University (Calif.) won the championship, edging Taylor by one point, 92-93.

On the men's side for the Cougars, senior Isaac Sytsma (Highland, Ind./Indiana Tech/Calumet St. Joseph/Highland) and senior Jonathan Jacobo (Blue Island, Ill./Eisenhower) were disqualified after the race as the runners competed with the wrong bib numbers. Evert Silva from No. 4 Oklahoma City University won the individual crown, finishing the 8K race with a time of 23:13.9. No. 1 College of Idaho won the national championship, topping defending champion No. 2 Milligan University (Tenn.), 87-96.