Walters Notches 10th at Sun Belt Cross Country Championship

Friday, October 31

Foley, Ala.

9:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. CT)

James Madison University

Sun Belt Conference Championship

Sidney Walters Podium at SBC XC Championship 103125

Walters Notches 10th at Sun Belt Cross Country Championship

10/31/2025 12:05:00 PM | Cross Country

Championship Central Results

FOLEY, Ala. – James Madison's Sidney Walters finished 10th at the Sun Belt Cross Country Championship with a 5K time of 17:39.7 this morning at the Graham Creek Nature Preserve.

Seven of the eight JMU runners recorded personal bests as the Dukes placed sixth out of 13 teams, tallying 141 points (10-19-27-38-47). App State took home the conference crown for the second consecutive season, moving from seventh to first in the final four kilometers. The Mountaineers went 11-14-15-17-20 for 77 points to win the title. Southern Miss finished runner-up with 88 points (6-12-21-24-25), while Texas State landed on the podium with 98 (1-2-13-31-51).

Abigail Parra was the individual Sun Belt Champion with a time of 16:52.10, beating out teammate Alexia Macias (17:09.4).

For the Dukes, Taylor Myers followed closely behind Walters with a massive PR of 17:53.0 for 19th to be named Newcomer of the Year. Izzy Greene (27th – 18:04.0) was the third Duke to cross the finish line, while Elizabeth Scarpa (38th – 18:09.9) rounded out the scoring.

The average time among JMU's scoring five was 18:01 – an improvement from their 18:26.6 pace at last year's title race. Additionally, the spread this season was just 39 seconds compared to 1:42.7 in 2024. In fact, the seven Dukes in the competition posted an average time of 18:08 with a 0:52 spread.

Quoting Head Coach Rebekah Ricksecker
"I am very proud of our athletes' performance today at the Sun Belt Championship, with our five scorers averaging 18:01 for the 5000 meters. We executed the race really well. Our team leaders were Sidney Walters, who finished second-team all-conference, and Taylor Myers, who was third team all-conference and was awarded Sun Belt Newcomer of the year. Even though we only moved up one team place from last year, that number doesn't tell the whole story. We made significant improvements in our times. Our team average was 25 seconds faster than last year, and 16 seconds faster than two years ago when we got second place as a team. Our 8th runner today ran faster than our second finisher last year, so our depth has improved greatly. As our conference keeps getting better and excelling, so are we. Seven of our eight athletes ran their lifetime best today. We're excited with the phenomenal development we've had this year with our athletes and ready to keep moving up."

How It Happened

JMU found itself in ninth with 200 points at the 2K split before moving up to the sixth at the finish, passing Coastal Carolina and Marshall over the last kilometer.
Scarpa registered the fastest final kilometer for the Dukes with a time of 3:44.7 to go from 53rd to 38th.
Greene's split at the 3:39.3 4K split helped her pass 18 runners before moving up another nine places in the final kilometer.
Garrett consistently worked her way up the ranks, starting in 79th and finishing in 47th, tracking down 22 competitors over the last two kilometers.

2025 Sun Belt Women's Cross Country Championship Awards
Runner of the Year: Abigail Parra, Texas State
Freshman of the Year: Tessa Massa, App State
Newcomer of the Year: Taylor Myers, James Madison
Elite Award Winner: Ella Segura, Louisiana

JMU Runners
10. Sidney Walters – 17:39.7
19. Taylor Myers – 17:53.0 (PR)
27. Izzy Greene – 18:04.4 (PR)
38. Elizabeth Scarpa – 18:09.9 (PR)
47. Carol-Anne Garrett – 18:19.1 (PR)
54. Madison Cole – 18:24.2 (PR)
62. Faith Ford – 18:31.9 (PR)
64. Sarah Cestare – 18:34.9 (PR)

Team Scores
1. App State – 77
2. Arkansas State – 88
3. Texas State – 98
4. Louisiana – 101
5. Arkansas State – 104
6. James Madison - 141
7. Coastal Carolina – 168
8. Marshall – 182
9. ULM – 197
10. South Alabama – 193
11. Georgia Southern – 346
12. Georgia State – 354
13. Troy – 361

Up Next
The Dukes will have a tune-up at Virginia Tech's Hokie Open at the Buford Meredith Cross Country Course on Friday, Nov. 7 at 3 p.m.