Salem, Va.— Powered by top-35 efforts from Ella Williams and Olivia Lambert, the Vikings grabbed ninth place at the NCAA South Region Championship in Salem, Virginia on Saturday morning. Both runners shattered personal records and collected All-Region accolades.

Williams dialed in from the gun, sprinting out in 35th place before gradually overpowering her opponents one by one. The junior eventually settled into 26th place before finding another gear in the last kilometer of the race that no one knew she had. With a strong closing kick, Williams passed her Meredith College challenger in the last 200 meters to finish 24th for a personal best of 22:50.50.

Lambert was a steady force for the Vikings throughout the event, beating her personal best by over 20 seconds for 31st in 23:15.40.

Natalie Sinclair was the third Viking across the line, finishing in 24:16.80 to place 58th. Senior Leine Burke closed out her collegiate career on Saturday morning, savoring every moment of her final race. The team captain placed 78th in a field of 175 with a time of 25:09.50.

In 89th, Abby Reams was the final Viking to contribute to the overall team score. Reams clocked in with a time of 25:26.50.

As a team, the Vikings finished in ninth with a team score of 271. Emory earned the automatic bid to nationals with a low score of 42. Washington and Lee, with a team score of 67, await their name to be called for an at-large bid to extend their season.