JOPLIN, Mo. - Lindsay Cunningham added a final and impressive performance to her Winona State cross country career, taking first place at the 2023 NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships on Saturday, Nov. 18, in Joplin, Mo.  Cunningham's time of 19:30.1 helped Winona State place fifth as a team overall, the highest-ever finish in WSU cross country history.  

As has been the case all season, Cunningham pulled away from the pack early on, setting a torrid pace that any other competitor could not match.  One of the closest runners to Cunningham throughout the race was Warrior teammate Kaylee Beyer, who turned in a time of 20:06.3, finishing seventh overall.

For Cunningham, the 2023 NCAA Division II individual title capped a remarkable fall season in which she won every competition she participated in, including winning the Greeno Dirksen Invite in Lincoln, Neb., defeating several NCAA Division I standouts, including the top runners from University of Nebraska, Iowa State, and Creighton. 

On Saturday in Joplin, Cunningham's compatriots rose to the challenge of the moment, collecting 219 points as a team in their fifth-place finish. In addition to Cunningham and Beyer's efforts, WSU head coach John Hibshman saw Sophia Taarud turn in a top-50 time, registering a 20:52.3 time, good for 49th overall. WSU's McKenna Taylor and Allison Kenefick came in as the fourth and fifth Winona State competitors, respectively, with running times of 21:32.4 and 21:45.8. Rounding out the Winona State lineup were Kylie Anderson (22:19.7) and Rachel Hoffman (22:56.4).  

Hibshman has been at the helm of the Winona State program since 2020, and the Warriors have risen steadily through the ranks of the NCAA Division II elite programs.  The former UW-La Crosse assistant coach has collected NSIC and USTFCCCA Coach-of-the-Year honors in his time with the program. 

Cunningham led by 15 seconds after the first kilometer, and Kaylee Beyer was second at the same checkpoint on the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course. The Wisconsin Dells, Wis. product ran a first-mile time of 5:03.  With her 19:30.1 mark, Cunningham became just the fourth NCAA Division II competitor ever to run a sub-20 minute 6K race in the national championship. 

Grand Valley State earned the NCAA Division II team title with 59 points, while Adams State was second overall at 86. Winona State's fifth-place mark is the best team performance ever at the NCAA championships.  WSU took 11^th last season in the 2022 championships in Seattle.  The Warriors earned a ninth-place finish overall.