LOUISVILLE, Ky.— Montreat College's women's cross country team competed in the Louisville Cross Country Classic Saturday morning. In total, 305 participants from 31 teams completed the race. The Cavaliers finished 28th after concluding the meet level with Southern Illinois University at 748 points; however, the Salukis owned the tiebreaker thanks to their initial scorers finishing better than Montreat's scorers head-to-head.
 
The Cavs earned the second-best finish of NAIA schools and beat out three NCAA Division I institutions in the 5k race.
 
Heather Murphy tore up the course, breaking her own school record for the second time this year. She eclipsed the mark she set at the Queen City Invite by over five seconds. Her new time of 17:10.2 placed her 15^th individually. Murphy was also the best NAIA finisher in the race, trailing only 12 DI student-athletes and two DII competitors.
 
Montreat's next finisher was Carlyn Bobo. She crossed the line in 169^th place with a time of 19:04.8. Elena Fibraio notched a career-best finish in a 5k event with her time of 19:35.0. She beat her old time by nearly 20 seconds. She placed 222^nd in the competition.
 
Two Cavalier runners finished close together to conclude Montreat's day. Natalia Nieto and Emily Standifer finished 288^th and 290^th, respectively. Nieto clocked a time of 21:03.0 while Standifer had a showing of 21:10.5.

"Murphy was awesome up front, continuing to raise the bar," said head coach Rylan Hincher. "Our women had a big task being put in the gold race with some incredible programs. We got some great experience handling such a big field. I am looking forward to what the crew can do in a few weeks in Knoxville."
 
For complete results from the Louisville Cross Country Classic, click here.
 
Up next, Montreat will run in the NAIA Appalachian Challenge for its next competition. Tennessee Wesleyan University is set to host the event. The race is being held on Oct. 24 in Knoxville, Tenn.