Dukes Finish Second in Sun Belt Championship Race

Saturday, October 28

Foley, Ala.

11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT

James Madison University

Sun Belt Conference Championship

Miranda Stanhope vs SBC Championship 102823

10/28/2023 6:05:00 PM | Cross Country

FOLEY, Ala. – James Madison cross country earned a runner-up finish in the Sun Belt Conference Championship 5K race on Saturday morning at the Graham Creek Nature Preserve in Foley, Ala.

JMU tallied 89 points (7-11-22-23-26), while Arkansas State took home the team title with 48 (4-6-9-13-16). Marshall picked up bronze with 101 points, followed by Coastal Carolina (4th – 124) and App State (5th – 125).

Senior Miranda Stanhope paced the Dukes with a seventh-place finish in 17:34.9. Three other JMU runners finished in the top 25: sophomore Katherine Lawson (11th – 18:02.9), sophomore Faithe Ketchum (22nd – 18:34.3) and fifth year McKenzi Watkins (23rd – 18:36.4)

For their efforts, Stanhope earned Second Team All-Conference honors, while Lawson garnered Third Team All-Conference status.

The Dukes had an average time of 18:18 with a spread of 1:07. James Madison and A-State were the only teams with all scorers in the top 30. CCU's Molly Jones won the individual title in 16:37.9, her second consecutive conference victory.

How It Happened

Stanhope (9th – 6:48.6) and Lawson (10th – 6:48.8) led the Dukes at the 2K split as the team sat in fourth with 137 points.
JMU dropped to sixth at the 3K split, with Stanhope moving to fifth with a time of 10:08.4).
Stanhope maintained her top-10 presence, while others made their way up the ranks. Junior Sofia Terenziani rounded out the scoring in 26th, crossing the finish line in 18:42.3.

Quoting Head Coach Rebekah Ricksecker
"Very proud of our team today. It was a phenomenal effort by everyone. Excited to move up as a team to a runner-up finish after our third-place finish last year. Our athletes went out smart, moved up throughout the race and worked together well. We were patient when it counted, and focused and aggressive when it counted. So proud of these ladies and excited about today and the future."

JMU Runners
7. Miranda Stanhope – 17:34.9
11. Katherine Lawson – 18:02.9
22. Faithe Ketchum – 18:34.3
23. McKenzi Watkins – 18:36.4
26. Sofia Terenziani – 18:42.3
45. Mary Milby – 19:18.8
77. Riley Schindel – 20:35.2

Team Scores
1. Arkansas State – 48
2. James Madison – 89
3. Marshall – 101
4. Coastal Carolina – 124
5. App State – 125
6. South Alabama – 136
7. Southern Miss – 166
8. Texas State – 192
9. Louisiana – 204
10. ULM – 224
11. Georgia Southern – 303
12. Georgia State – 324
13. Troy – 324

Sun Belt Runner of the Year
Molly Jones, Coastal Carolina

Sun Belt Freshman of the Year
Rahel Broemmel, Arkansas State

First Team All-Conference
Molly Jones, Coastal Carolina
Abby Herring, Marshall
Ellie Wolski, Coastal Carolina
Rahel Broemmel, Arkansas State
Isabela Ross, Southern Miss

Second Team All-Conference
Jaybe Shufelberger, Arkansas State
Miranda Stanhope, James Madison
Jasmine Donohue, App State
Elizabeth Martin, Arkansas State
Kylee Mastin, Marshall

Third Team All-Conference
Katherine Lawson, James Madison
Starlynn Costa, South Alabama
Mary Beth Bailey, Arkansas State
Amilia Wise-Sweat, Coastal Carolina
Charleen Elizondo, South Alabama

Up Next
The Dukes will head to Blacksburg, Va. for Virginia Tech's Hokie Open on Nov. 3. Following the tune-up, the team will prepare for the NCAA Southeast Regional race, hosted by USC Upstate on Nov. 10.