SAN ANTONIO — Southwestern women's cross country finished seventh at the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Championship Meet, finishing with a total time of 2:25.29 for a 29:05 average. 

"The ladies showed some resilience today. We've been dealing with some nagging injuries lately, so to get to this point was a win," Southwestern head cross country coach Steven Cary says. "I'm thrilled with how everyone got out there and performed at their best. Laura, Lauren, and Grace all pushed each other. Also, to see Val race at a conference championship, after all the injuries she's been through, was moving. I'm super proud of her."

Lauren Calzado paced the Pirates with a time of 27:47.0, running a 7:27.1 mile pace to place 40th. She was joined in a tight grouping by Laura Carrasco Torres (27:54.0, 42nd) and Grace Massey (28:18.4, 45th). 

Senior Valerie Acosta ran her first conference championship meet since her freshman year, working back from a significant broken leg in the spring of her first year to finish the championship meet with a time of 30:12.3, placing 576h. 

Rachel Chiella followed with a time of 31:18.0 to place 60th, followed by Darby Vrba in 64th with a time of 36:43.0. Colorado College won its second conference championship in three years, led by individual winner Elliot Singer. 

"Our women had some positives out there. There's lots of room to grow moving forward, but today was the first step," Cary says. "I'm excited to build on this heading into the spring."

Southwestern will travel to Claremont, Calif., to compete in the NCAA Division III West Regionals hosted by Occidental on Saturday, Nov. 13.