Harding breaks 5,000-meter record for the fifth time
September 4, 2009

Results

     HATTIESBURG, Miss. — It was a familiar scenario Friday for Xavier University of Louisiana women's cross country standout Ebony Harding. She was the Gold Nuggets' fastest finisher for the 22nd time in as many collegiate races, and for the fifth time she broke the school record for 5,000 meters.
     Harding covered the 5K in 19 minutes, 47.14 seconds to finish ninth out of 41 runners in the season-opening Southern Miss Invitational. She shaved nearly two seconds from her previous best of 19:48.84, which she set at the 2008 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championships.
     The top-10 finish was the 11th of Harding's career.
     Freshman Sabrina Vargas placed 17th in 21:18.91 in her collegiate debut and was the Gold Nuggets' second fastest runner. She was nearly 17 seconds faster than teammate Anna D'Souza, who shared the Freshman of the Year award on the 2008 All-Louisiana team.
     Xavier scored 110 points to finish fifth out of five teams. Southern Miss had the top three finishers, including winner Krista Moylan (18:37.55), and scored 40 points to win the team title by four points over runner-up Nicholls State.
     The Gold Nuggets will compete next in the Wolfpack Invitational on Sept. 12 at Lafreniere Park in Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans.