WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State had three runners finish among the top five, and seven runners finish in the top 10 at the 4,000-meter Mustang Derby. Midwestern State finished with 26 points and won the title for the fifth consecutive year.

The Mustangs had a cumulative time of 1:14.40 — 41 seconds better than second-place Cameron, which finished with 36 points. The Aggies had three of the top six runners in the field of 55 harriers from five schools, including four NCAA Division II programs.

Dallas Baptist was third with 74 points, followed by Cisco College with 124 points, and Science & Arts finished with 149 points.

Junior Grace Pineda led the Mustangs with a second-place finish, turning in a time of 14:32.1, which was 15.6 seconds behind freshman Boglarka Kalman (14:16.5) of Cameron. 

Kalman won the race but was 2.8 seconds off the event record, which Ella Pando of Midwestern State set in 2023 with a time of 14:13.7.

Senior Akaya Lightbourne was 8.5 seconds behind Pineda in third place for the Aggies.

Senior Perla Flores finished in fourth place for Midwestern State with a time of 14:44.6, and her teammate Elizabeth Gregory, a freshman, was the fifth-place runner at 14:51.0. 

Freshman Alyssa Buchan of Cameron finished sixth with a time of 15:09.7 and was followed by four Mustangs. Senior Isabel Hernandez was seventh at 15:13.4. Freshmen Jacie Kainer (15:18.2), Yarida De Leon (15:20.2), and Natalie Trevino (15:22.0) completed the top-10.

A group of five Mustangs came in bunched together at 14-18, led by freshman Lola Hart (15:30.3), who was followed by freshman Makayla Jetton (15:30.6), senior Jazira Perez (15:44.5), freshman Sydney Carian (15:45.2) and freshman Alyson Mata (15:47.0). 

Ava Smith of Dallas Baptist was the best among runners not wearing an MSU or a Cameron singlet, finishing in 12th place with a time of 15:25.5. Smith was followed by her teammate Reagan Noel, who crossed the finish line at 15:27.9.

Midwestern State will next compete in Georgetown, Texas, at the SU Showdown on the Southwestern Cross-Country Course on Oct. 3.