Kenosha, Wis. --- The Biola women's cross country team had the chance to compete at nationals for the fourth consecutive year on Saturday morning. A crisp, overcast 48-degree morning set the tone for a competitive championship race. 

"I am proud of the ladies and their ability to get to NCAA Nationals four years in a row," stated head coach Sean Henning. "That is no small task! It is a testament to their commitment to the program and excellence in their pursuit of the sport."

Henning continued, "Unfortunately, we didn't put together the day that we wanted today. I think the girls made a valiant attempt to get out well through the first two kilometers, but we were unfortunately unable to hold it and dropped to 22nd. Bethany, who had an excellent day two weeks ago where she won the West Regional title, had a tough day and just wasn't able to put together the race that we wanted. We are still proud of her, she had a fantastic season."

Bethany Mapes ran her final race for Biola and once again was the team's top runner. She placed 88th in a field of 263 runners with a 6k time of 21:41.2. It was Mapes' second-best individual finish at the national meet during her stellar four-year career.

Hailey Wurzbach would be the next runner to cross the line for BU with a time of 22:05.5. Madison Ebright followed close behind with a time of 22:10.1. Elizabeth Kurtz and Jaina Kang rounded out the top five for the Eagles with times of 22:10.1 and 22:18.1, respectively. 

The 22nd-place finish is four spots better than last year and the second-best finish all-time for Biola women's cross country. The gap of just 37 seconds between Biola's top-5 runners shows just how competitive the field of 263 competitors was.

Wurzbach and Kang achieved her highest-career finishes at the National Championships, while Kurtz and Lesiw made their National Championships debuts.

"We had some freshmen who put together pretty respectable races, given that it is the first time ever being here," reflected Henning. "Elizabeth, Claire, and Sara finished fairly close to where they were projected to finish as freshmen, so that's fantastic."

Biola was the only school to represent the PacWest on the women's side, closing out another dominant season for Head Coach Sean Henning's group.

"We will regroup, reflect, and celebrate the good things from this season," concluded Henning. "There were several of them. The end result doesn't necessarily take away from the journey, and these girls have done some incredible things this season. We definitely sought to honor the Lord with our gifts and abilities this fall."