Lipscomb women’s cross-country runner and Columbus North grad Mackenzie Barnett, center, runs with teammates Linda Perez, left, and Kiara Smeltz at the ASUN Conference Championship Nov. 1 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Photo provided by ASUN Conference
Mackenzie Barnett and the Lipscomb women’s cross-country team made history once again.
Barnett helped make school history for the Bisons for the second straight year of qualifying for the NCAA Championships last month in Madison, Wisconsin.
“It has been amazing, especially last year making it to nationals the first time, that was amazing,” said Barnett, a senior from Columbus North. “We were so grateful for that opportunity, and this year, being able to do it again with a similar group of girls was really special.”
The road to having the repeat performance wasn’t going to be easy. Lipscomb finished fifth as a team in the NCAA South Regional, which meant having to wait and see if they would be selected on the NCAA Cross-Country Selection Show.
Barnett and the Bisons had a feeling their name would be called, but any doubt was erased when they were elated to know they were heading back to the championship again after making it there for the first time in school history last year.
“Our region is one of the hardest regions to get out of, so we were hoping to make it to nationals but knew it was a realistic possibility we would have to wait on the selection show to get pulled in,” Barnett said. “By the time the race was over, we weren’t certain if we got in but by the end of the night, coach (Nick Polk) had a pretty good idea that we were in just on his calculations. By the time we got to the selection show, we were pretty sure we were in, but it’s obviously great to hear it at the selection show. Our team was there to watch. It made it much more fun to watch the selection show.”
Lipscomb women’s cross-country runner and Columbus North grad Mackenzie Barnett (148) runs with teammates, from left, Linda Perez (157), Colbi Borland (149), Carmen Krawczynski Gonzalez (155) and Kiara Smeltz (159) at the ASUN Conference Championship Nov. 1 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Photo provided by ASUN Conference
The Bisons finished 23rd at the NCAA Championships, with Barnett crossing the line 75th individually with a time of 20 minutes, 25.9 seconds for 6K (3.8 miles). In the NCAA South Regional, Lipscomb finished fifth, with Barnett coming in 21st in 20:29.9.
During the ASUN Conference Meet, the Bisons finished first as a team, and Barnett was second individually in 16:27.7 for 5K (3.1 miles), only a tenth of a second behind teammate Kiara Smeltz.
“Our goal again this year was to make it to nationals because we made it for the first time last year, so our goal was to make it again this year,” Barnett said. “I wanted to do better than what I placed last year. I was able to do that, so I was grateful for that, and it was a fun season leading up to that.”
Lipscomb women’s cross-country runner and Columbus North grad Mackenzie Barnett is given the ASUN Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year award by ASUN senior associate commissioner for sport administration Joseph Kaminski. Submitted photo by Colby Grant
Barnett has been just as successful academically. She holds a 4.0 GPA and was awarded the ASUN Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, which combines academic and athletic achievements.
While Barnett is through with cross-country season, she still has her track left to go in the spring. She said the indoor track season begins in a couple weeks, and she will be focusing on doing the 3K and 5K races and maybe some 1,500-meter races. Once outdoor season hits, she will focus on mainly the 5K and 10K events.
Barnett is set to graduate in the spring with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary and Special Education. She also wants to be a coach at some point, as well.
Barnett has come a long way since she never had the thought of running cross-country until she got to high school. That decision paid off in a huge way when she became one of the most decorated runners in North history. Her accolades earned her The Republic Female Athlete of the Year in 2021.
“It was definitely a blessing,” she said. “I definitely want to be an elementary school teacher, but I’m not exactly sure where I’ll land yet, but I would also love to do coaching at some point in my career.”
As for Barnett’s career in running after college?
“I definitely love every moment I’ve had running cross-country, so it’s something I still want to continue with,” she said. “If I can, I’d love to do marathon training or half-marathon training or coaching. I definitely want to keep it up, but don’t exactly have a plan for that yet. I definitely will have one after track season.”
