SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The Berry College women's cross country team traveled to South Carolina Saturday morning to take on a nationally competitive field at the Division III Pre-Nationals, finishing eighth out of 11 teams in their third meet of the year.

In a race that featured two nationally ranked opponents, Ella Williams stepped up as the team's frontrunner. Williams clocked a time of 23:08.8 to place 23rd overall in a field of 105 runners, continuing her impressive start to her collegiate career.

Senior Ariel Ellis provided a strong veteran presence just behind Williams, securing 28th place with a time of 23:19.2. Junior Olivia Lambert followed in 37th (23:42.3), while freshmen Natalie Sinclair and Masa Iwanski rounded out Berry's scoring five, finishing 66th (25:04.8) and 67th (25:17.04), respectively.

The Vikings compiled a team score of 197, good for eighth place, and showed promise against tough competition. Centre College, a conference rival, placed sixth with 164 points, while Berry finished ahead of another SAA foe, Oglethorpe University, who placed 10th with 300 points.

At the front of the pack, No. 6 nationally ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps dominated the field with just 22 points, while No. 16 Vassar secured second with 79.

The Vikings will lace up for the Berry Meet on October 4th at their home course in Mount Berry, Georgia. The gun is set to go off at 9:45 a.m.