by John Karrs
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – The Barton women's cross country team finished ninth overall at the 2018 Conference Carolinas Championship meet which took place Saturday morning at the University of Mount Olive.
Mount Olive won its fourth straight league title with a near-perfect total in points with 17. The Trojans, with five of the top six runners in the race, also had the individual champion in Shona Blades. Blades finished the 6K course in 22:38.
For Barton, junior Meghan Araldi (Albany, N.Y.) led the way with a 19th-place finish, clocking a 24:43. Freshman Hailey Russell (Jacksonville, N.C.) finished with a time of 24:56 while taking 25th-place for the Bulldogs.
The 2018 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championship is scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 17, in Oakwood, Ga. Serving as the host institution is the University of North Georgia.
2018 Conference Carolinas Women's Cross Country Championship
Saturday, November 3
Mount Olive, N.C.
University of Mount Olive, host institution
1. Mount Olive 17
2. North Greenville 70
3. King 86
4. Southern Wesleyan 108
5. Belmont Abbey 122
6. Limestone 169
7. Lees-McRae 213
8. Emmanuel (Ga.) 222
9. Barton 226
10. Converse 253
11. Erskine 295
Barton's Individuals
19. Meghan Araldi 24:43
25. Hailey Russell 24:56
50. Morgan Lane 26:47
82. Taylynn Blunt 31:22
84. Telina Bunch 32:16
91. Danyetta Ruffin 40:27
ALL-CONFERENCE CAROLINAS
First Team
Shona Blades, Mount Olive
Celine Ritter, Mount Olive
Leah Hanle, Mount Olive
Kristin Barton, King
Elise Tanner, Mount Olive
Second Team
Amber Owens, Mount Olive
Hope Whisman, North Greenville
Kaleigh Roach, North Greenville
Sarah Rutto, Limestone
Julia Otranto, Belmont Abbey
Third Team
Madison Lewellen, Southern Wesleyan
Kyra Hood, Southern Wesleyan
Brianne Heard, Lees-McRae
Mary Abbott, North Greenville
Maggie Rice, Southern Wesleyan
Conference Carolinas Women's Cross Country Champion:
University of Mount Olive
Runner of the Year:
Shona Blades, Mount Olive
Freshman of the Year:
Amber Owens, Mount Olive
Coach of the Year:
Matt van Lierop, Mount Olive
Elite 23 Award:
Kaitlin Rivera, King
