Women’s XC Dominates Lyon College Meet, Whittenburg Named NJCAA Runner of the Week
Batesville, AR – September 6, 2025 — The Mineral Area College (MAC) women's cross country team continued their strong start to the season with a commanding win at the Lyon College Invitational. The Cardinals placed five runners in the top 10 to secure first place in the team standings, finishing with a total time of 1:53:54 and an average 5K time of 22:46.
Team Results:
- Mineral Area College – 26 points
- Williams Baptist University – 46 points
- Lyon College – 48 points
Top Individual Performers – MAC Leading the Pack
Although the individual title went to Williams Baptist's Aletta Jonker (20:31.2), Mineral Area College runners quickly packed in behind her, claiming four of the next seven spots.
- Clay Whittenburg (FR) led the way for MAC with a second-place finish, clocking a strong 21:09.4. The 2nd place finish also led to Clay being named NJCAA Runner of the Week.
- Emily Marriott (FR) followed closely behind in third, finishing in 21:41.5.
- Alyson Skiles (SO) placed fourth with a solid time of 22:11.6.
- Sara Akins (FR) and McKensie Collins (FR) rounded out the MAC scorers, placing eighth and ninth with times of 24:18.6 and 24:33.5, respectively.
MAC's ability to place all five scoring runners within the top 10 proved to be the key to their team victory. The Lady Cardinals return to action on Friday, September 12 at Harding University in Searcy, AR.