by Benny Benton
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Barton College sophomore Sharon Kiptoo finished among the top 20 percent of the year's largest field with her best time of the season, and junior Heather Cuddington posted the best 5K mark of her collegiate career Friday in the Royals XC Challenge.
As a team, Barton placed 25th in a field of 37 teams from all NCAA divisions with 637 points. The Lady Bulldogs were eighth among the 10 Conference Carolinas programs competing in the event, which was won by Davidson University with 56 points.
Kiptoo came in 58th overall among 325 competitors with a time of 19:34.5, more than a minute faster than her previous best since transferring this season from NCAA Division I Hampton University.
Cuddington finished 110th with a time of 20:09.4. Her previous Barton PR came in the 2014 Sand Shark Invitational, where she recorded a mark of 20:28.4.
The rest of Barton's lineup included Jamicia Jones (177th, 21:21.6), Lauren Yoho (199th, 21:40.0), Eva Amo-Mensah (249th, 23:00.5) and Judith Melly (271st, 23:45.9).
The event was the final tune-up before the Lady Bulldogs compete in the 2015 Conference Carolinas Championships, which will be once again run at Frank Liske Park in Concord, N.C. The meet is slated for Friday, Oct. 23, at 3 p.m.
