UMHB women’s cross country captures ASC title as Wall records second-place individual finish

Photo courtesy of the American Southwest Conference

MARSHALL, Texas — For the second time in program history, UMHB women’s cross country solidified itself as the ASC’s best. Running under cloudy East Texas skies on Saturday morning at the American Southwest Conference championship meet, The Cru won the team title with a score of 38, six points ahead of second-place ETBU. 

As a team, UMHB averaged a time of 25:08, exactly 20 seconds faster than ETBU and 22 seconds ahead of Hardin-Simmons. 

It marks UMHB’s first ASC title since 2020-21 and the program’s first conference championship in a fall season. The 2020-21 season, abbreviated due to Covid, was run in the spring. 

Presley Wall led the charge to victory, as the senior crossed the line in 25 minutes, 44 seconds, finishing second in the field of 31 runners. It marks Wall’s highest finish in a conference championship meet, besting her fourth-place performance in 2023. It is also the highest individual placement for a Crusader since Holly Dasher won the individual title at the ASC championships in Round Rock in the spring of 2021. Wall averaged a 6:21/mile pace. 

Laurel Jarrott was the second Crusader across the finish line, posting a time of 24:46 in a fifth-place finish. UMHB put two runners in the Top 5 at ASCs for the second straight season, after Wall and Holly Dasher placed fourth and fifth, respectively, at last year’s meet. 

Chylar Greer and Amanda Stockton crossed the line in seventh and eighth place for UMHB. Greer’s time of 25:20 was a new personal best for the senior over the 6K distance, as she previously ran a PR of 25:32.8 at the Watson Collegiate Classic on Oct. 18. 

Mary Wittmer and Drea Gibson finished 16th and 17 for UMHB. Reagan Bashore (22nd), Amiya Crosslin (23rd), and Maiah Jackson (24th) rounded out The Cru’s finishers. 

Jarrott and Gibson were each recognized in the ASC’s accolades, with Jarrott earning Freshman of the Year honors and Gibson being named Newcomer of the Year. UMHB head coach Alex Aldaco was recognized as the ASC’s Coaching Staff of the Year. Wall, Jarrott, and Greer each earned First Team All-ASC recognition. 

Women’s Team Scores