Knoxville, TN – The 25th-ranked University of the Cumberlands women's cross country team put together a strong showing Friday at the NAIA Appalachian Challenge, placing second out of 20 scoring teams with 77 points behind an individual victory from Lea Kunstmann.

Kunstmann led the field from the front, capturing the individual title with a time of 17:40.8. The sophomore's performance marked the second-fastest 5K of her Cumberlands career, trailing only her 17:23.71 performance at last year's Appalachian Challenge.

Jule Krauss continued her strong freshman campaign, placing seventh overall with a collegiate best time of 18:23.6. Krauss shaved nearly 27 seconds off her previous career best of 18:50.5 set at the Great Louisville Classic earlier this month.

Tigist Bergman was the third Patriot across the line, placing 18th in 19:01.1, while Heather Durrant followed in 20th with a time of 19:03.6. Brianna Hillock completed the scoring five for Cumberlands, finishing 32nd overall in 19:20.6.

The Patriots continued to show their depth behind the scoring group as Megan Kitchens placed 38th in 19:28.8 and Anslee Crosby followed in 41st at 19:30.9. Rylee Schaffner crossed in 45th with a time of 19:37.6, while Christie George placed 51st in 19:45.6.

Molly Beckham finished 56th with a time of 19:59.1, followed by Emma Quillen in 77th at 20:15.9 and Gracie Reed in 80th with a time of 20:16.9. Lucy Sullivan crossed the line in 99th at 20:44.4, while Courtney George rounded out the Cumberlands contingent in 129th with a time of 21:39.9.

Cumberlands finished with 77 points to place runner-up behind Milligan, which totaled 34 points. Rio Grande placed third with 90 points, Southeastern finished fourth with 150, and Tennessee Southern rounded out the top five with 174.

The Patriots return to competition on Friday, November 6, at the Mid-South Conference Championships in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

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