SALEM, Va. — The Berry Vikings finished eighth in a field of 20 at the South Region Showdown on Saturday morning at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. Ella Williams led the Vikings to a top-10 finish in a multi-division field.
In her debut season with the program, Williams has quickly established herself as a key contributor, placing among Berry's top two finishers in the past five meets. Toeing the line with NCAA Division I and nationally ranked opponents, the junior placed 29th in a field of 200 with a time of 23:41.7.
Williams contributed to Berry's team score of 247. Meredith College edged the Vikings for seventh place by just two points. Southern Athletic Association (SAA) foe Oglethorpe University also made the trip to Virginia, posting a score of 307 for 11th place.
Berry's Natalie Sinclair posted the team's second-fastest time, crossing the line in 24:01.7 for 41st place. In the last kilometer of the race, Sinclair overtook a Washington and Lee runner to secure one of the best finishes of her young college career. Olivia Lambert was not far behind, finishing 46th (24:19.3).
Abby Reams and Katie Frankman rounded out the scoring for the Vikings. Reams, a freshman from Dunwoody, Georgia, took 78th place, crossing the finish line in 25:14.3. Frankman, a Montana native, finished 97th with a time of 25:54.5.
The Vikings will sit idle until the SAA Championship on Nov. 1 in Georgetown, Texas.