Felipe Finishes 53rd at NAIA National Championships
Freshman Brenda Felipe finished 53rd at the 32nd Annual NAIA Cross Country Championships.VANCOUVER, Wash. - Rogers State women’s cross country runner Brenda Felipe finished 53rd out of 323 runners at the 32nd Annual NAIA Cross Country Championships at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Wash. on Saturday morning.
The freshman from Poteau, Okla. completed the 5K event with a time of 18:55. She finished first among all Sooner Athletic Conference runners competing in the race. Felipe finished seventh out of 91 freshmen running in the race.
“I am very proud of the way Brenda ran today,” Head Cross Country Coach Chris McCormick said. “It was an outstanding result for any freshman. The national championship is an aggressive race with a lot of jostling and elbowing but she held her own and powered through it, not letting it affect her rhythm. I was happy she was able to lead our conference again. It showed she is truly the best runner in the SAC. I would love to see the entire team qualify for the national meet next year as well as a top 30 finish for Brenda, granting her All-American honors.”
Grand View (Iowa) senior Obsie Birru took home the individual crown as she led the pack from start to finish with a time of 17:15. Cal State San Marcos defended their team title with 82 points. Four of their top five runners were named All-Americans. Azusa Pacific finished second with 91 points and three All-Americans.
