FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-91-05-06
Wednesday, April 5, 2006

Elizabethtown College Cross Country Teams Rank Among Nation’s Best in the Classroom; Women Rank 5th in NCAA Division III, Men Rank 13th; Ten Etown Runners Honored as Individuals

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Both the Elizabethtown College women’s and men’s cross country teams rank high in the nation in the 2005 NCAA Division III All-Academic Teams, announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA) recently. The Etown women’s cross country team compiled the fifth highest team grade point average in NCAA Division III, while the Etown men’s cross country team had the 13th-highest team grade point average in NCAA Division III last fall, according to the USTFCCCA. Additionally, ten Blue Jay runners – six women and four men – earned spots on the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team by finishing in the top 25% of the field at their respective regional championship while maintaining a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

The Etown women’s cross country runners named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team include first-year student Samantha Jones (Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg Area), sophomore Erin Fisher (McEwensville, PA/Warrior Run), first-year student Allison Rahtes (Coopersburg, PA/Palisades), first-year student Tiffany Kulp (Perkasie, PA/Pennridge) and first-year student Amanda Daws (Thorofare, NJ/West Deptford).

Jones finished 29th at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Championships in November to earn all-region honors. She also placed sixth at the 2005 Middle Atlantic Conference Championships to earn a position on the All-MAC First Team, and she was the MAC Rookie of the Year. Fisher finished 71st out of 293 runners at the 2005 Mideast Regionals, and she finished 18th at the MAC Championships to earn a place on the All-MAC Second Team. Rahtes placed 49th at the Mideast Regionals, and she was an All-MAC Second Team runner with a 17th place finish at the 2005 MAC Championships. Kulp placed 12th at the Mideast Regionals to earn a spot on the All-Mideast Region team as well as qualify as an individual for the NCAA Division III Championship meet. At the national championships, she finished 137th out of 213 finishers. Kulp also placed ninth at the MAC Championships to earn First Team All-MAC honors. Daws finished 45th at the Mideast Regionals and 15th at the MAC Championships, earning All-MAC Second Team honors in the process.

The Elizabethtown men’s cross country runners named to the USFTCCCA All-Academic Team are first-year student Brandon Bear (York, PA/Eastern York), sophomore Ryan St. Clair (Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg Area), senior Greg Wetzel (Warrington, PA/Central Bucks East) and junior Tyson Evensen (West Sand Lake, NY/Averill Park).

Bear placed 67th out of 279 runners at the 2005 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Championships, and he finished 17th at the 2005 MAC Championships to earn All-MAC Second Team honors as well as the conference’s Rookie of the Year award. St. Clair finished 54th at the Mideast Regionals, and he placed 27th out of 134 runners at the MAC Championships. Wetzel finished 21st at the Mideast Regionals to earn All-Mideast Region honors as well as qualify as an individual for the NCAA Division III Championship meet, where he finished 114th out of 211 finishers. At the MAC Championships in 2005, Wetzel finished ninth and earned a spot on the All-MAC First Team. Evensen placed 14th at the Mideast Regionals to earn a place on the All-Mideast Region team as well as qualify as an individual for the NCAA Division III Championship meet. There, he finished 106th. At the MAC Championships, Evensen finished as the runner-up to earn All-MAC First Team honors.

The Elizabethtown College women’s cross country team finished second in the MAC and third at the Mideast Regionals in 2005. The Etown men’s cross country team won its College-record seventh MAC title and placed fifth at the Mideast Regionals in 2005. Both teams had individuals qualify for and compete at the NCAA Division III national championship meet.