ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Saturday, November 13, 2004

Etown Qualifies to Compete at NCAA Championship Meet for First Time Ever with Third Place Finish at Mideast Regionals

MEADVILLE, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College women's cross country team posted its highest-ever finish at the Mideast Regionals, hosted by Allegheny College, Saturday, by finishing third out of 35 scoring teams with 140 points, just two points behind second place Dickinson. By finishing third, the Blue Jays also qualified as a team to compete at the NCAA Division III Championships for the first time in the history of the program. The NCAA Division III championship meet will be held Saturday, November 20 at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

The Blue Jay top five finished as a tight pack, with only 24 seconds separating them. Four of them earned All-Mideast Region honors by finishing in the top 35 in the 259-runner field on the 6000m course.

A pair of first-years, Jess Cook (Harrisburg, PA/Bishop McDevitt) and Katie Garner (Wyncote, PA/Cheltenham) were Etown's top finishers, with Cook placing 24th in 23:29 and Garner right on her heels in 25th in 23:30. Sophomore Erin Deihl (Aaronsburg, PA/Penn Valley) was only five seconds behind them in 28th place with a time of 23:35. Senior Melissa St. Clair (Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg) was Etown's fourth All-Region runner in 35th place with a time of 23:50. Also, Etown number five runner Danielle Frye (Hamburg, PA/Hamburg) narrowly missed a spot on the All-Region team, placing 38th overall in 23:53.

at Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa.
Mideast Regional Championships
6000m Course
Top 10 Team Scores (35 scoring teams): 1. Allegheny 99; 2. Dickinson 138; 3. Elizabethtown 140; 4. Haverford 197; 5. Grove City 210; 6. Moravian 215; 7. Swarthmore 233; 8. Gettysburg 264; 9. Muhlenberg 329; 10. Salisbury 344.
Etown Individual Finishers (259 runners): 24. Jess Cook* 23:29; 25. Katie Garner* 23:30; 28. Erin Deihl* 23:35; 35. Melissa St. Clair* 23:50; 38. Danielle Frye 23:53; 55. Amanda Santore 24:23; 73. Tara Fagan 24:47.
* All-Mideast Region Runner