PRATT, Kans.- The women's side of Beavers' cross country continues to gain traction on the national stage.
Today, in the second release of the NJCAA DI Cross Country National Coaches' Poll, the Beavers' women's team jumped from 23rd to 16th. Pratt's movement of seven spots within the Top 25 rankings was the largest leap of any team in the poll. The remainder of the rankings can be found here.
Pratt's maneuvering up the rankings comes after five Beaver women placed ninth at the Sept. 21 Southern Stampede in Joplin, Mo. with a team score of 231. Shantierra Jackson led the pace for Pratt over the course of the five-kilometer race, finishing with a time of 19:28.2, the 12th-best time out of a field of 147 runners. Patricia Koma (20:38.8, 36th), Jamie De La Torre (20:54.2, 44th), Kalen Aguero (21:51.8, 75th), Serena Blaske (23:12.1, 96th), and Meadow Valeriano (24:49.1, 113th) also contributed to the Beaver effort.
This weekend, cross country will have the opportunity to expand on its early-season success in Fayetteville, Ark., where the Beavers will be running in the 31st Annual Chile Pepper Festival.