by Benny Benton
WILSON, N.C. – Top-five finishes by Sharon Kiptoo and Heather Cuddington helped the Barton College women's cross country team to third place among eight teams in the third annual Bulldog Cross Country Invitational, which was held Friday at J. Burt Gillette Athletic Complex.
Kiptoo, a sophomore transfer from Hampton University and native of Kenya, recorded a time of 20:43.34 in her Barton debut to place third among a field of 61 runners. She finished just one second and one spot ahead of her teammate, Cuddington, a junior who graduated from nearby Beddingfield High School.
They finished roughly 40 seconds behind race winner Stephany Sislava of Louisburg College, who posted a time of 20:04.68. Three of Sislava's teammates also placed in the top-10 as the Lady Canes claimed the team crown with 44 points. Meredith College was second with 56 points, followed by the host Lady Bulldogs with 61 and Winston-Salem State University with 68.
Well back in fifth place was Shaw University with 124 points. Rounding out the field were St. Augustine's University with 167, Chowan University with 182 and Salem College with 188.
In addition to the top-five finishes by Kiptoo and Cuddington, Barton also received scoring runs from senior Jamicia Jones, junior transfer Viviana Baca Alamillo and senior Lauren Yoho. Jones placed 15th with a time of 21:55.67, Alamillo came in 17th with a mark of 21:59.69, and Yoho crossed the line 22nd with a run of 22:34.74. Also competing in the meet for BC was sophomore transfer Judith Melly, who posted a time of 25:01.15 in her Barton debut to place 36th.
The meet was Barton's first of the year after last week's scheduled event was cancelled due to lightning. The Lady Bulldogs will have two weeks to prepare for the Bulldog Stampede, hosted by Wingate University. The race will serve as a preview of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional, which will be run on the same course in November.
