Prior to the NAIA national championships, the Baker University women’s cross country team hoped to crack the top 15.

Although the team’s 17th-place finish fell just short of that on Saturday, the Wildcats jumped eight places from their ranking in the final NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 poll. The 25th-ranked ‘Cats finished with a team average 19:29 during the national meet at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence.

Senior Lauren Jaqua led BU with a time of 19:04 and a 76th-place finish. Fellow senior Megan Rosa had the second fastest time for the Wildcats, posting a 125th-place finish and a 6:14 mile average. Freshman Jillian Benson also placed in the top 150 of 319 runners with a time of 19:33.

Besides Jaqua and Rosa, the other cross country seniors who saw their season end were Ashley McBride and Jenna Stanbrough.