Jones paces Women's Cross Country to First, claims 'Top Spot' in University of Ozarks Invite

CLARKSVILLE, Ark. - The University of Dallas women's cross country team earned first-place Saturday morning in the University of Ozarks Invitational, as junior Mary Jones claimed first-place individually, and two other Lady Crusaders ran to top-five times. 

The teams present placed as follows in the 5K meet: 1) University of Dallas (36 points), 2) John Brown University (64 points), and 3) Henderson State (69 points). The University of Texas-Dallas finished fourth, Arkansas Tech took fifth, and the University of Arkansas-Monticello finished sixth, while Ozarks brought up the rear. 

Dallas and Texas-Dallas were the only teams hailing from outside the state of Arkansas. 

Jones (Oneida, Wis.) finished the 3.2 miles in 19 minutes and 28 seconds, four seconds ahead of the second-place runner Kailtin Bounds of Arkansas Tech. Freshman Elizabeth Hinchley (Magnolia, Texas) was not far behind, finishing in 19:40 for third. Junior Olivia Bach (Marshall, Texas) followed her teammates through the finish to secure fifth place.

The meet also saw good outings from sophomores Danielle Pajak (Oaklawn, Ill.) and Colleen Slattery (Middle Ridge, Wis.), and freshman Mikayla Tolley (Colorado Springs, Colo.); all of whom finished in the top 15.

The first-place finish is Dallas' first of the 2012 season. 

Next meet: 

The women's cross country team will travel to Austin, Texas, to participate in the Concordia University Invitational held on Oct. 13.