SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Ohio Wesleyan University women's cross country junior Zoe Ward hit the course for the final time this season on Saturday, racing as an individual in the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country Championship down in South Carolina. She finished the 6000 meter course 42nd in the massive field of over 290 runners with a final time of 22:04.7.

Ward got off to a steady start, running the first 1000 meters in 3:18.0 and sitting just 12.6 seconds off the leaders in 51st place. The second and third kilometers were a bit of a tough stretch as she fell back 24 spots to 75th, splitting 3:41.6 and 3:47.5 to reach the halfway point in 10:47.1.

The second half of the race was where Ward really started to gain positions, moving up five spots to 70th in the fourth kilometer after splitting 3:43.2. She moved up another seven spots to 63rd within the fifth kilometer, splitting 3:56.4. Then came a huge surge as she put up a 3:38.2 for the final 1000 meters and moved up a total of 21 spots to finish 42nd at 22.04.7.

Ward ended up just two spots outside of All-American status but improved 72 spots over her performance at the national championship meet last year. Not to mention, she was the third-highest finisher from the Great Lakes region.