CLINTON, Miss. – Junior Kylie Gray punched her ticket to the NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championship with a fifth-place finish at the Southern States Athletic Conference Cross Country Championship on Friday at Choctaw Trails.
 
Gray completed the 6K course in 23:14.5, averaging 6:14 per mile. Her fifth-place performance led Dalton State and secured an individual berth in the national championship.
 
The qualification marks Gray's second trip to the NAIA Cross Country National Championship. She previously qualified as an individual in 2024 and finished fourth at that season's SSAC Championship.
 
As a team, the Lady Roadrunners finished sixth out of 10 scoring teams with 151 points and a combined time of 2:12:54. William Carey won the conference championship with 41 points, followed by UT Southern with 49 and Loyola-New Orleans with 71.
 
Sophomore Kate Girard was Dalton State's second finisher, placing 25th with a time of 25:29.2. Freshman Yoselin Garcia followed in 28th place, crossing the finish line in 25:43.8.
 
Sophomore Allison Batts finished 53rd overall in 29:11.0, while freshman Karli Sams completed Dalton State's scoring five in 54th place with a time of 29:16.2. Freshman Hayleigh Carriveau rounded out the Lady Roadrunners' lineup, finishing 66th in 33:46.0.
 
DALTON STATE RESULTS

• 5. Kylie Gray, 23:14.5
• 25. Kate Girard, 25:29.2
• 28. Yoselin Garcia, 25:43.8
• 53. Allison Batts, 29:11.0
• 54. Karli Sams, 29:16.2
• 66. Hayleigh Carriveau, 33:46.0

UP NEXT
Gray will represent Dalton State at the NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championship on Friday, November 20, at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Wash.

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