Benedictine Wins Second-Straight Conference Championship, Grand View’s Morgan Lawson Captures Individual Crown

For the second-straight season, the Benedictine College Ravens captured the Heart of America Athletic Conference Women's Cross Country Championship, as they outpaced second-place Baker for the 2021 crown.

This marks the Ravens fourth all-time Heart Women's Cross Country Championship, winning in 2021, 2020, 2015 and 2014.

Grand View's Morgan Lawson earned first-place overall in the 5K race with her time of 18:22. The top 10 finishers earned 2021 First Team All-Conference honors, while finishers 11-15 were named 2021 Honorable Mention All-Conference.

Benedictine's head coach Je'Kel Smith was named the 2021 Heart Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year.

The 2021 Conference Championships were held at Seminole Valley Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and was hosted by Mount Mercy University.

Benedictine has earned an automatic bid to the 2021 NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championships, November 19 in Vancouver, Washington.

For a second team from the Heart to earn a bid into the NAIA National Championship, they would have to finish in the Top 30 of Monday's Final NAIA Women's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 poll. For a look at the Top 25 poll, please click here.

After Monday's Coaches' Poll, individual NAIA National Qualifiers from today's Conference Championships will be determined as well. The Top six finishers from today's meet not running on a NAIA automatic qualifying team or at-large qualifying team and finished 20^th or better in the conference meet, will individually qualify for the NAIA national meet.

Team Results

2021 Heart Women's Cross Country All-Conference

First Team All-Conference

1^st Place – Morgan Lawson (Grand View) – 18:22

2^nd Place – Kelsi Huhndorf (Mount Mercy) – 18:55

3^rd Place – Ceyda Nazli – (Grand View) – 18:57

4^th Place – Mary Rolwes (Benedictine) – 19:03

5^th Place – Isabella Guerra (Benedictine) – 19:08

6^th Place – Valerie Aceves-Power (Baker) – 19:16

7^th Place – Jessica Ertz (Mount Mercy) – 19:19

8^th Place – Mia Wilhoit (Baker) – 19:22

9^th Place – Julia McLaughlin (Benedictine) – 19:23

10^th Place -Ricar Mends (Clarke) – 19:28

2021 Honorable Mention All-Conference

11^th Place – Jordan Hawman (Baker) – 19:29

12^th Place – Emma Swanson (Grand View) – 19:30

13^th Place – Jackie De la Fuente (Baker) – 19:30.4

14^th Place – Grace Stewart (Graceland) – 19:30.9

15^th Place – Mary O'Connor (Benedictine) – 19:33

RESULTS