(Cowley Tiger Sports Information) November 11, 2023 -- Nothing was going to stop the Cowley College women's cross country team from accomplishing their goal of being national champions, not even a flu bug that ran through the team leading up to the race. The Lady Tigers placed five runners in the top-25 and claimed its second national championship in the past four years by winning the 2023 NJCAA Division II women's cross-country national championship held Saturday in Huntsville, AL.
This was the second DII National Title in school history and the third overall with the team capturing the 2010 NJCAA Division I national championship. The Lady Tigers completed a historic performance, finishing the day with 66 team points. Heartland (IL) came in a close second with 71 points. Paradise Valley (AZ), Mesa (AZ), and Des Moines Area (IL) rounded out the top 5 finishers.
"Our girls had themselves a day, they were every bit of incredible," Cowley head coach Cameron Rieth said. "If people knew of the backstory leading into this race, how six of the seven girls were battling the flu the last 10 days of the season and some barely were able to practice going into nationals. They were still not 100 percent on race day. Talking with our trainer Blake Smith the morning of the race, I told him, our girls' team is feisty, if they are going to go down, they are going to go down swinging. As soon as that gun went off a pack of orange shot straight to front of the pack."
Dheniffer Vaz, the lone sophomore on the team, finished eighth with a time of 18:46.50 in the 5,000-meter race and earned Second-Team All-American honors for her efforts. Kayli Myers, Leticia Belo, Brittannia Willis, and Lakota Schultz also ran amazing races and earned Coaches Association All-American honors.
"With how sick they were coming in, I honestly did not know what to expect and do not know how they pulled it off, other than just willing themselves to it. I am at a loss for words," Rieth said. "Heartland almost reeled us in at the end, and I don't think I would have been too upset if they did, because we really ran all out from the start. That type of effort is all you can ask for as a coach and it was amazing to see and be a part of."
Lake Michigan College's Olivia Ippel won the 5,000-meter race with a time of 17:56.6.
Cowley Women's Results: Dheniffer Vaz, 18:46.50, eighth; Kayli Myers, 19:18.10, 16th; Leticia Belo, 19:19.10, 18th; Brittannia Willis, 19:30.60, 20th; Lakota Schultz, 19:43.80, 25th; Britt Hunter, 20:51.40, 82nd; Tavarie Campbell, 20:51.60, 83rd.
Top-10 women's team scores: (1) Cowley, 66; (2) Heartland, 71; (3) Paradise Valley, 115; (4) Mesa, 125; (5) Des Moines Area CC, 162; (6) Daytona State College, 172; (7) Pasco-Hernando State College, 184; (8) Wallace State, 254; (9) Southeastern CC, 274; (10) Florida Gateway College, 292.
Photo provided by RyAnn Myers