DENVER -- Midwestern State's Ella Pando was once again out front for the Mustangs Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Division II South Central Region Championships at Washington Park.

The freshman from Weatherford placed 74th overall with a time of 24:03.00 on a snowy 6,000-meter course to help the Mustangs place 15th overall as a team totaling 475 points.

MSU has steadily improved from a 19th-place showing in 2019, then to 18th under the guidance of second-year head coach Kelsey Bruce.

Pando's 74th-place individual finish was the best showing for an MSU runner since Amerhyst Woolf placed 37th in the 2019 South Central Region meet at The Range in Canyon and the best finish for a freshman since Delaney Locke took 74th in 2017 -- also at The Range.

Pando also boasts the top finish for an MSU frosh over five regionals at Washington Park, while matching Locke for the best freshman NCAA postseason showing since the South Central Region shifted to include the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 2012.

Sara Smith finished 49th as a freshman in 2015, while Locke was 74th in 2017 with both meets taking place in Canyon.

Senior Elizabeth Butzke recorded her 16th consecutive team countable finish by taking 88th overall with a time of 24:35.00, while freshman Mariana Sanchez notched sixth countable finish in seven meets by placing 91st with a time of 24:40.10.

Freshman Jadyn Dangerfield Moore finished 108th with a time of 25:22.50, while junior Sydney MacDonald was the 114th runner to enter the chute with a time of 25:33.30.

Freshman Rosalene Reyes Perez (25:43.50) and sophomore Nathalia Escontrias (25:47.80) placed 122nd and 125th, respectively.

Adams State (Colo.) claimed the regional team championship amassing 67 points, while Colorado School of Mines (72) and UC Colorado Springs (84) clinched berths in the NCAA Division II Championships while will be held at Chamber's Bay Golf Course in University Place, Washington on Dec. 3.

The remainder of the field awaits the selection of 10 additional at-large bids.

West Texas A&M seniors Florance Uwajeneza (21:08.60) and Eleanora Curtabbi (21:10.60) clinched individual berths by placing first and second.

Midwestern State closed the year with its best team finish percentage (.663) since 2016, while claiming two team meet wins for the first time in four seasons.
 

NCAA Division II South Central Region Championship

Washington Park
Denver, Colo.
Nov. 19, 2022

Team Standings

Pos	Team	Points
1	Adams State (Colo.)	67
2	Colorado School of Mines	72
3	UC Colorado Springs	84
4	Colorado State-Pueblo	106
5	Western Colorado	127
6	West Texas A&M	175
7	Colorado Christian	198
8	Dallas Baptist (Texas)	221
9	Westminster (Utah)	236
10	Fort Lewis (Colo.)	262
11	Colorado Mesa	317
12	Black Hills State (S.D.)	378
13	MSU Denver (Colo.)	381
14	Oklahoma Christian	416
15	Midwestern State	475
16	St. Edward's (Texas)	492
17	Arkansas-Fort Smith	530
18	Texas A&M International	534
19	South Dakota Mines	543
20	Lubbock Christian (Texas)	552
21	New Mexico Highlands	577
22	Chadron State (Neb.)	602
23	Cameron (Okla.)	610
24	Western New Mexico	656
25	Regis (Colo.)	755

 

MSU Individual Results

Pos	Student-Athlete	Time	Points
75	Ella Pando	24:03.00	74
88	Elizabeth Butzke	24:35.00	88
91	Mariana Sanchez	24:40.10	91
108	Jadyn Dangerfield Moore	25:22.50	108
114	Sydney MacDonald	25:33.30	114
122	Rosalene Reyes Perez	25:43.50	122
125	Nathalia Escontrias	25:47.80	125