EVANS, Ga. – Host Augusta turned in a perfect score of 15 in the women’s 5K race at the Jaguar Cross Country Challenge, while Newberry was edged by four points by Columbia College for second place.
The Wolves had the top finisher of the meet that did not run for Augusta in a seventh-place performance by Emily Shuler. The freshman came within three seconds of equaling her personal record, set two weeks ago at the USC Upstate Invitational, by finishing in 20:51.88.
Newberry saw its next three runners come in between 15th and 19th positions, with freshman Brittani Barratt clocking a personal-best 22:08.91 to lead the group. Michelle Ling finished in 17th, with Rebecca Burkhart cracking the top 20 in 22:26.49.
The Wolves’ final scorer was 22nd place Katy Crout at 23:03.01. The Koalas of Columbia College placed all five of their scorers between the 10th and 20th positions score 73 points, while Newberry scored 77 points due to the wider spread between its top five finishers.
Hayden Francis, Alyssa White, and Makaylyn Higgins also competed for the Wolves but did not contribute to the team total.
With its third-place performance, Newberry finished 20 points ahead of fourth-place Paine. USC Aiken, Georgia Military College, and Fort Valley State rounded out the seven-team field.
Friday’s meet came eight days before the SAC Championships, hosted by Newberry at Sandhills Research and Education Center in Columbia. The women’s race will cover five kilometers and begin at 9 a.m.