WAYNE, Neb. - Lindsay Cunningham earned the 2022 NSIC Women's Cross Country Individual Championship on Saturday, Nov. 5, cruising past a field of the best distance athletes in the league to finish the course with a time of 20:22.80, more than a minute faster than the next closest competitor. 

As a team, Winona State finished third overall, finishing with 73 points in the competition. Augustana won the event with a team score of 56 while Minnesota State was second with 68 points. 

In addition to Cunningham's championship performance, WSU's McKenna Taylor took third in the race, completing the course in 21:30.15. Kaylee Beyer also notched a top-10 finish, claiming seventh with a time of 21:55.02.  Winona State was the only team in the competition with three individuals in the top 10. 

Rounding out the Warriors' top five were Sophia Taarud, finishing 19th with a time of 22:55.49 and Rhya Brandemuehl who finished 48th overall at 24:24.50.

For Cunningham, the NSIC title is a back-to-back feat for the Wisconsin Dells, Wis. product, having won the 2021 edition of the same race on the same course with a time of 21:21.42. A 2021 NCAA Cross Country All-American, Cunningham has won every regular season and regional race she has entered for Winona State. In addition to two consecutive NSIC championships, Cunningham claimed both the 2021 and 2022 Roy Griak Invitational, hosted by the University of Minnesota. 

Next up for Cunningham and WSU - currently ranked 17th in the county -  will be the NCAA Division II Cross Country Regional Championships, held on Saturday, Nov. 19 in Joplin, Mo.