TYLER, Texas — Senior Samantha Nickell crossed the line as the top collegiate finisher on Friday evening to help Henderson State take second place at the UT-Tyler Braveheart Invitational.

Nickell, who ran 21:18.1 for the 5K race, broke the tape 20 seconds before the second place finisher to notch the seventh Top-10 result of her career and the third outright individual win.

Henderson scored 61 points as a team to beat out East Texas Baptist and Jarvis Christian for second overall. UT-Tyler won the event with 31 points.

Sophomore Kaylie Wheeless finished second for the Reddies on Friday and was eighth overall with a time of 22:18.5. Behind her were freshmen Hannah Massey and Annika Duncan, who took 15th and 16th in their first college races in times of 23:40.4 and 23:54.7, respectively.

The final scoring runner for Henderson was sophomore Brennan Shamburger who took 19th in 24:14.4 and edged Martha Mosqueda who was nipping at heels in 20th with a mark of 24:17.1. 

Junior Rebecca Niedzwiedz rounded out the Top-7 for the Reddies and placed 25th in 24:46.1. Freshman Chloe Gilmore, who took 26th in 24:46.2, and sophomore Jaci Ammons, who finished were also entrants for Henderson and finished 34th in 27:56.3, were also entrants for Henderson in the season-opening race.

The Reddies race again on Sept. 14 in Clarksville, Arkansas at the University of the Ozarks Invitational.