MEMPHIS, Tenn. — 1st-year Harper Counts and 5th-year Dinah Winders led the Harding women's cross-country team to a fourth-place finish Saturday night at the season-opening City Auto Memphis Twilight XC Classic.
Competing under the lights at Mike Rose Soccer Complex, the Lady Bisons accumulated 152 points in an 18-team collegiate field to finish as the top non-Division I program in the standings. Harding placed behind Division I powerhouses Ole Miss (34 points), Middle Tennessee (61 points), and Alabama (98 points). The Lady Bisons edged out Division I in-state rival Arkansas State (155 points) by three points and finished well ahead of Great American Conference foe Arkansas Tech (269 points).
Making her collegiate debut, Counts paced the Lady Bisons over the 5K course, placing 20th overall in 18:25.06. Winders crossed less than two seconds later, earning 21st place in 18:26.95.
Harding's scoring depth relied heavily on immediate contributions from its newcomer class. 1st-year Elle Williamson finished 36th in 18:59.39, 4th-year Jessica Chappell placed 40th in 19:07.13, and 1st-year Jacobi Ruiz rounded out the scoring group taking 46th in 19:12.82. 3rd-year Zoe Williamson (74th, 19:51.08) and 1st-year Hailey Von Willer (78th, 19:55.69) served as displacers.
Saturday's fourth-place team finish adds to a rich history for the Lady Bisons at the Memphis Twilight Classic. Harding has claimed four team titles at the meet—winning in 2005, 2006, 2015, and 2017—and boasts an individual champion in program legend Ewa Zaborowska, who won the 2015 race. The fourth-place mark represents the program's highest team finish at the event since taking the crown in 2017.
Top 5 Team Standings
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Ole Miss — 34
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Middle Tennessee — 61
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Alabama — 98
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Harding — 152
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Arkansas State — 155
Harding Top 7 Finishers
Harding returns home to Searcy on Friday, Sept. 11, to host the 6th Annual Steve Guymon Invitational.
