KANSAS CITY, Mo.— Rated for the 35^th straight poll, the Montreat College women's cross country team once again found itself inside the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Women's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25. This time around, the Cavaliers appeared at No. 21 in the national ratings.
 
Tallying 163 points throughout the voting process, Montreat accumulated 31 points fewer than No. 20 Carroll (Mont.) but 10 points more than 22^nd-rated Lewis-Clark State (Idaho).
 
Since the previous ratings were unveiled on Oct. 2, the Cavs have competed just once. Running on Oct. 4 at the Louisville Cross Country Classic, one of the largest meets in the country, Montreat captured 28^th out of 31 squads following a tiebreaker decision that went Southern Illinois University's way. The Cavaliers recorded the second-best finish among NAIA competitors, and they topped three NCAA Division I institutions in the 5k gold race.
 
Individually, Heather Murphy picked up right where she left off. For the second time this year, Murphy broke her own 5k school record time. Shaving five seconds off her previous mark, the Portarlington, Ireland native needed just 17:10.2 to wrap up her race. Overall, Murphy finished 15^th out of 305 runners—the only competitors faster than Murphy maintained NCAA Division I (12) or Division II (2) pedigrees.
 
To view the entire NAIA Women's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25, click here.
 
Up next, Montreat runs at the NAIA Appalachian Challenge, hosted by Tennessee Wesleyan University. The meet is slated for Oct. 24 at Sequoyah Park in Knoxville, Tenn.