At the last NCAA cross country championships in June, BYU’s Whittni Orton led much of the way before fading down the stretch, although the Cougars took the overall team title.
On Saturday at the 2021 championships in Tallahassee, Florida, Orton left no doubt in the individual competition, pulling away in the final kilometer to take the crown.
BYU came close but couldn’t quite recreate the same magic in the team competition, finishing second behind NC State.
Orton, a Panguitch, Utah, native, was in the lead pack throughout, holding the third spot at the halfway point.
She started asserting herself about 75% of the way through the 6K race and then, unlike in June when she faded, she finished strong, winning by just shy of four seconds with a time of 19:25.4.
“That definitely fueled me a lot,” Orton told the ESPN television crew postrace of fading at the end in June.
Alabama’s Mercy Chelangat, who won the title in June, finished second.
BYU’s Anna Camp, the NCAA champion in the 1500 meters in June, finished 12th, although NC State had better depth and finished with 84 points.
The Cougars finished with 122.
This story will be updated.
BYU’s Whittni Orton wins NCAA individual cross country title, Cougars 2nd in team competition
Source: Gabriella Pinoys
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