TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Whittni Orton led BYU women's cross country to a runner-up finish, also taking home an individual title, the first individual NCAA women’s cross country title in school history, in the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships at Apalachee Regional Park on Saturday.

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Orton ran with the front pack of the top-4 runners for the majority of the race, breaking off at the 5K mark as she approached the hill leading to the finish line.

The senior from Panguitch, Utah, would go on to beat Alabama's Mercy Chelangat, the reigning individual champion, by nearly four seconds. Her 6K time of 19:25.4 is the second fastest all-time at Apalachee, beating a time of 19:26.2 set in 2014.

The Cougars, behind Orton's first-place finish, had three runners finish in the top-40 and earn USTFCCCA All-American honors: Orton (1), Anna Camp-Bennett (12) and Aubrey Frentheway (38).

Orton, Camp-Bennett, Frentheway and McKenna Lee-Hansen each set 6K personal bests at the meet.

BYU totaled 122 points to finish second behind NC State's 84. The Cougars finished above fellow Mountain Region teams New Mexico (130) and Colorado (187), who took third and fourth, respectively.

At the 2020-21 NCAA Cross Country Championships held earlier this year, Orton led the pack before dropping into 17th place toward the end of the race. 

"That definitely fueled me a lot," Orton said. "I did think about it many, many times, not just today but throughout the whole year. I always think that the setback does help with the comeback."

Orton also talked about BYU women's cross country head coach Diljeet Taylor and the impact that she's had on the program.

"Her culture, I've been a part of it for about six years now," she said. "I am a completely different person because of  it. I'm just so grateful for her and these girls. I've seen them grow as well and it's really amazing to see. I don't know why anyone wouldn't come to BYU."

Orton is the first BYU woman to win an individual NCAA cross country title in school history. On the men's side, Conner Mantz won the individual title for the second-straight year, the first repeat champion since 2014-15.

It is just the second time in NCAA history, however, that the two individual champions have come from the same school. Michelle Dekkers and Robert O. Kennedy from Indiana accomplished the feat in 1988. 

PROVO, Utah — BYU men's and women's cross country prepare to compete in the NCAA Cross Country Championships at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida this week. 

The men earned an automatic bid to nationals after winning the NCAA Mountain Regional at Timpanogos Golf Club in Provo last week, while the women, who finished third at the regional, received an at-large bid during the Selection Show.

NCAA Cross Country Championships

• Saturday, Nov. 20
• Tallahassee, Florida
• Apalachee Regional Park
• Women's 6K: 10:20am EST
• Men's 10K: 11:10am EST
• Meet Information
• ESPNU
• Live Timing
• Tickets

Women's Preview

BYU looks to defend its 2020-21 National Championship this week with six of the seven runners from that championship team slated to compete on Saturday. Whittni Orton, Anna Camp-Bennett, Aubrey Frentheway, Lexy Halladay, McKenna Lee, Sara Musselman and Anna Martin will race for the Cougars.

Camp-Bennett and Frentheway led BYU in the NCAA Mountain Regional last Friday, placing sixth and seventh, respectively. Musselman and Martin also joined the pair in the top-25, finishing 20th and 24th to give the Cougars four All-Region honorees.

At the 2020-21 NCAA Championships held earlier this year, four BYU runners finished in the top-40 on its way to the program's fifth national title and first since 2002. The Cougars were paced by Camp-Bennett (11), Frentheway (15) and Orton (17).

On the women's side, schools have won back-to-back championships 11 times in NCAA history, including a three-peat by Stanford from 2005-2007 and six-year run by Villanova from 1989-1994. The Cougars accomplished the feat under head coach Patrick Shane, recently inducted into the BYU Athletics Hall of Fame, in 2001 and 2002. 

Men's Preview

BYU men’s cross country will compete for its second national title in three years at Apalachee Regional Park on Saturday. The Cougars last came away with the trophy in 2019. Sophomore Conner Mantz led the Cougars with a third-place individual finish as he clocked a men’s 10k time of 30:40.0. Danny Carney and Jacob Heslington followed close behind Mantz and joined him as 2019 All-Americans.

While the 2019 title was the program’s first national championship, the Cougars have twice finished as runners-up and 10 times in the top-5.

Mantz will seek to defend his 2020-21 individual national title on Saturday. The senior from Smithfield, Utah clocked a 29:26.1 to finish first among individuals, joining head coach Ed Eyestone (1984) and Josh Rohatinsky (2006) as the third athlete in program history to be crowned individual national champion.

Mantz is currently the only BYU men’s cross country athlete to ever record three career top-10 finishes at nationals. As a freshman in 2018, Mantz clocked his current career-best 10k time with a 29:17.1 at the NCAAs.