ADA, Oklahoma – Ouachita Baptist reclaimed the Great American Conference Women’s Cross Championship Championship title Tigers collected their second team title with a 10-point victory on Saturday from Oak Hills Golf & Country Club. Oklahoma Baptist’s Sophia Strange became the first GAC woman to record three consecutive individual titles as she won the individual competition by almost 15 seconds.
The Tigers won the program’s second GAC Championship title. They previously won in 2022. Allison Hylkema crossed in fourth to lead the team, followed closely by Izzi Breaux. Kate Nachtigal finished in seventh. Elise Knight and Macie Cash recorded top-20 finishes.
|| 2024 GAC Championship Results || 2024 All-GAC Teams ||
For the fourth time in the last five GAC Championships, Arkansas Tech finished second. The Golden Suns’ Audrey Hill and Avery Stanley earned top-10 finishes and places on the All-GAC First Team. Hill became a two-time First-Team performer. Libby Booth, Ellie Akins and Peyton Carson finished inside the top 20. Akins finished in 14th and earned the league’s Freshman of the Year award. She became the third Golden Sun named Freshman of the Year joining Booth and Ashlynn Mays.
The hosting East Central Tigers took third. Naomy Limatukei and Aurelia Jepkorir led the way by finishing second and third, respectively. Carolyne Kimaiyo and Damaris Chewon added top-20 finishes.
Strange and the Bison finished in fourth, three points clear of Southeastern Oklahoma State. She became the league’s 10th four-time First-Team All-GAC performer. She joined former Harding All-American Ewa Zaborowska as the conference’s only two three-time Runner of the Year recipients. Jade Robinson finished in 20th. The Savage Storm’s Ashlen Clem finished in ninth to give the program their first First-Team All-GAC runner since Makayla Coppedge in 2016. Anjelica Abraham finished in 15th as the Savage Storm claimed two All-GAC runners for the first time since 2013.
Harding’s Josie Parks and Dinah Winders paced the Lady Bisons to a sixth-place result. Parks finished eighth and Winders crossed in 11th.
Southern Arkansas finished in seventh, followed by Northwestern Oklahoma State, Southern Nazarene, Southwestern Oklahoma State, Henderson State and Arkansas-Monticello.
The league also honored its top student athletes with its Elite Scholar Athlete award, presented by Conway Regional Health System and its Academic Honor Roll. Arkansas Tech’s Calli Beshore, Mackenzie Epperson and Felicity West; Harding’s Ashley Gray and Dinah Winders; Oklahoma Baptist’s Lauren Robinson; Ouachita Baptist’s Allison Hylkema, Elise Knight and Abby McElhaney all received the Elite Scholar honor as all three own perfect 4.00 grade-point averages.
The GAC Academic Honor Roll featured Arkansas Tech’s Avery Stanley; Arkansas-Monticello’s Emmy Apodaca, Olivia Caraway and Lauren Spoon; East Central’s Damaris Chewon and Lindsey Mauppin; Harding’s Audri Aaron, Josie Parks, Amy Stewart, Kaylie Washko and Jaclyn Weilnau; Henderson State’s Heidy Galvan, Marianna Murcia, Kamie Richardson and Lily Winter; Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Katelynn Dahn and Addie Hoeme; Oklahoma Baptist’s Mekenzie Connell, Lauren Crouch, Shayna Hendrix, Kaylen King, Jadyn Pavlik, Sophia Strange and Zoe Strange; Ouachita Baptist’s Gracie Blocker, Izzi Breaux, Macie Cash, Shayla Conley, Ella Marie Davis, Mackenzie Davis, Nadia Denman, Emelia Eriksson, Maggie Gregory, Darby Jones, Jaci McGregor, Hannah McGuire, Katelynn Nachtigal, Rylee Patterson, Emily Payne, Collette Sneau and Blair Turpen; Southeastern Oklahoma State’s Sarah Coblentz, Kiley Keene, Andrea Lopez and Savannah Sandoval; Southern Arkansas’ Cantley Gosdin, Alyzah McGlasson, Madyson Pence, Logan Warren and Ava Zindler; Southern Nazarene’s Elora Jones, Isabel Lynch, Reagan Rowton and Afeni Rubio; Southwestern Oklahoma State’s Delaney Ferguson and Makenlee Shieldnight.