he Master's University women's cross country team opened its 2026 season Saturday at the Mark Covert Classic, finishing sixth as a team at Green River Golf Club behind a tight front pack that ran together from gun to tape.
Sophomore Saige Miller led the way for the Mustangs, crossing the 6000m line in 21:49.2. Margaret Kempson was right on her shoulder in 21:51.1, with Acacia Rojas third across for TMU in 21:55.6 — a top three separated by just seven seconds. The plan was for the Lady Mustangs to run in packs for the beginning of the race and to close hard for the last mile and TMU executed it perfectly.
Paige Theel (22:16.9) and senior Kylie Page (22:31.1) rounded out the scoring five. From the first Lady Mustang to fifth, the spread was 42 seconds, and TMU averaged 22:05 across its top five for a total team time of 1:50:24.
The Mustangs sat seventh through the opening mile before climbing a spot by the 6K finish.
Clara Most (23:25.4) and Ella Bolen (24:10.5) also finished to finish the top seven for The Master's.
Up next, the Mustangs get two weeks off before heading to Riverside for the UC Riverside Invitational on September 19.
