From OCU Sports
Rich Tortorelli, Assistant Athletic Director of Communications
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Oklahoma City University’s Aminat Olowora ran a school-record time of 16 minutes, 16.81 seconds to win the Chile Pepper Festival hosted by the University of Arkansas on Saturday at Agri Park.
Olowora, a junior from Lagos, Nigeria, won her second meet in a row and set the school record by 70 seconds. Oklahoma City, ranked eighth in NAIA women’s cross country, finished fourth in the Division II team standings.
OCU assistant coach David Crynes called Olowora, “one of the best runners in the country, period. Regardless of division.” Olowora posted a time 6.98 seconds behind Division I winner Karissa Schweizer from Missouri.
The Stars’ Sara Moore, a senior from Omagh, Ireland, finished fifth with a time of 17:36.1. Michaela Werner, a junior from Grove, Okla., supplied OCU with an 18:22.84, which placed her 34th.
Taylor Harrill, a junior from Cache, Okla., finished the 5,000-meter race with a time of 18:34.66, and Kassidy Williams, a sophomore from Anadarko, Okla., finished with a time of 19:12.39.
Other finishers for OCU were Ciara O’Connor (19:15.84), Tyler Berge (19:23.58), and Anna Palacios-Garcia (20:01.95).
At the start of the race, the temperature was 61 degrees with no wind.
The Stars’ next meet is at the NAIA Mid-States Classic on Oct. 22 in Winfield, Kan.