SACRAMENTO, Calif. — University of Charleston junior Beth Sykes finished 84th to represent the Mountain East Conference as the top overall performer at Saturday’s NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, which were held at Arcade Creek Cross Country Course.
 
The 6,000-meter race started at 2:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), and featured 261 of the nation’s top long-distance competitors.
 
Sykes, who made the All-MEC first team and finished seventh at the MEC Championships, finished the course in a time of 22:01.8. She qualified for the event as UC’s only representative out of the region.
 
The only other MEC runner who raced individually Saturday was West Virginia Wesleyan’s Leigha Hall, who had the third-best time of all MEC competitors. Hall, who also finished third at the MEC Championships, ran the course in 22:16.1 to place 110th.
 
Davis & Elkins was the only MEC women’s team at the national meet. Lauren Twyman, the individual MEC champion at last month’s race at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, finished 96th at Saturday’s national championship, completing the course in 22:07.6. This is the program's second Top 30 finish nationally in program history. 
 
Twyman’s teammates – Lydia Falkenstein (117th) and Savanna Hardman (150th) also finished in the top 150.
 
Davis & Elkins
Lauren Twyman             96      22:07.6
Lydia Falkenstein         117      22:18.7
Savanna Hardman       150      22:36.9
Zoe Belshan                 227      23:55.9
Cameryn Wheeler        228      23:56.6
Rebecca Tellez             230      23:59.9
Ella Hesson                  234      24:17.7
 
Charleston
Beth Sykes                   84        22:01.8
 
West Virginia Wesleyan
Leigha Hall                  110      22:16.1