Bolivar, Mo. – The SBU women's cross country remarkable season came to an end on Monday after they fell just shy of getting an at large bid into the National Championship. This came off the heel of getting 5^th place at the Midwest regional giving them a top-5 finish in every single race this season.
 
"I am so proud of these ladies!" Head Coach Corey McElhaney said, "We had some ups and downs this season, but they ran so tough when it mattered most. It is so easy to just base a successful season on the 4-5 meets a team runs but there is so much more behind the scenes. It starts with all the alone summer miles, 5:30 am practices, workouts designed to test mind and spirt, then all the struggle and successes that come with a cross season. There is so much sacrifice that goes into this sport yet so much reward that often isn't even linked to how a team places rather than the culture they create...the family."
 
They began their season at home where they took 1^st place out of seven teams, four being from the GLVC. This race was significant on how the team ran together. The top 5 runners all finished within .62 seconds of each other, crossing the line as a family.
 
Their next race was one of their best of the season where they took 3^rd place out 26 teams, only falling behind Division I Arkansas and Division II powerhouse Pitt St. Six runners finished in the top 45 out of 251 total competitors.
 
In preparation for regionals, the Bearcats competed at the Lucian Rose Invitational at University of Wisconsin-Parkside, the same course for regionals. They finished this race in 5^th place, again beating out all GLVC teams.
 
They returned home for one final race before conference and dominated all teams there getting 1^st place, 35 points ahead of 2^nd place. Juniors Alexis Barber, Brocklyn Barber, and Tessa Valdivia finished 1^st, 2^nd, and 4^th respectively.
 
At conference, the Bearcats fell just shy of their second GLVC title in three seasons, where they came in 2^nd behind the 19^th ranked Lewis Flyers.
 
The ladies would have their revenge against the conference foe in beating them two weeks later at the regional meet. They finished this race in 5^th out of 31 teams, their best finish since 2019. In the process, they beat the nationally 22^nd ranked Flyers and 28^th ranked Hillsdale University.
 
"This season has been one of the most memorable." Junior Brocklyn Barber said, "As a team we grew together and bought into the plan coach had for us and ran for each other. In the end, it's not about the results. It's about the memories and the people we surrounded ourselves with every day; the relationships we deepened each practice. It's about giving everything for your teammates each time you go out there and race. The bonds we have created this year are exceptional and never ending!"