KENOSHA, Wis. — Harding freshman Vivien Kipkorir capped her debut season with a personal-best performance Saturday, finishing 45th at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships at the Wayne E. Dannehl National XC Course.

Kipkorir covered the 6-kilometer course in 21 minutes, 10.1 seconds, marking the fifth-fastest time ever run by a Lady Bison at the national meet. It was also the seventh-fastest time recorded by a freshman in the field.

Only three Harding runners have posted faster times at the NCAA Championships. Janee Jones holds the school record with a 20:36 finish in 2006. Harding Hall of Famer Ewa Zaborowska ran 21:00 in 2015 and 21:04 in 2012, while Harding Hall of Famer and Olympian Janet Kogo clocked 21:05 in 2003.

Kipkorir ran a steady tactical race, positioning herself in the top 50 throughout the competition. She opened the race in 36th place at the 1-kilometer mark with a split of 3:31.0. After dropping briefly to 41st at the 2K mark (6:59.7), she surged midway through the race.

By the 3-kilometer mark, Kipkorir had climbed to 31st place with a time of 10:24.9 and held that position through the 4K checkpoint (13:48.3). She sat 43rd at the 4.8-kilometer split (16:55.2) before crossing the finish line in 45th.

Adams State's Tristian Spence won the individual national title, breaking the tape in 20:11.0.

In the team competition, Grand Valley State claimed the national championship with 65 points, narrowly edging out second-place Colorado School of Mines, who finished with 69 points.