ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Saturday, November 17, 2007

Erin Fisher Earns All-America Honors as Elizabethtown Competes at NCAA Division III Championships

NORTHFIELD, Minn. --- Elizabethtown College senior Erin Fisher (McEwensville, PA/Warrior Run) earned All-America honors with a 15th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country championships on the campus of St. Olaf College on Saturday.

Erin Fisher

Fisher is the second Blue Jay women's runner to earn All-America honors, joining Melissa St. Clair (2003) along with men's team members Dustin Scott (2001), Steve Sanko (2004) and Jose Miranda (2004).

Fisher crossed the finish line of the 6,000-meter race in 21:46 to help the Blue Jays end up tied for 23rd overall in a field of 32 teams with the University of Puget Sound at 581 points, the best finish in three trips to nationals for the program.

"I was really proud of how the team handled all of the chaos that exists at the national championships. They ran a really poised race like seasoned veterans, and didn't act like they were just happy to be there," said head coach Chris Straub. "This is a great exclamation point on a wonderful season."

Tiffany Kulp

For Fisher, the All-America recognition caps a season that saw her win three individual races, including her second straight Middle Atlantic Conference championship and the NCAA Mideast Regional title one week earlier.

Junior Tiffany Kulp (Perkasie, PA/Pennridge) turned in her best finish in three trips to nationals by coming in 87th with a time of 22:54, sophomore Megan VanDenHengel (Mechanicsburg, PA/Cumberland Valley) was 191st in 23:33 and first-year student Kristen O'Brien (Westminster, MD/Winters Mills) came in 218th in 23:48.

Megan VanDenHengel

Senior Sarah Grove (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin East) was the final Blue Jay scorer in 261st place at 24:18, sophomore Sarah Merusi (Montague, NJ/Port Jervis, NY) was 273rd at 25:10 and junior Amanda Daws (Thorofare, NJ/West Deptford) finished 277th at 25:18.

Amherst College won the team title with 120 points, followed by Plattsburgh State (159 points), Washington (Mo.) University (194 points), Calvin College (199 points) and Geneseo State (249 points). Sarah Zerzan of Willamette College was the individual champion in 20:54, finishing 23 seconds ahead of runner-up Liz Montgomery of Geneseo State.

Kristen O'Brien

NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country Championships
at St. Olaf College - Northfield, Minn. - 6,000 meters

Team Results: 1. Amherst (Mass.) 120; 2. Plattsburgh (N.Y.) State 159; 3. Washington (Mo.) 194; 4. Calvin (Mich.) 199; 5. Geneseo (N.Y.) State 249; 6. Case Western Reserve (Ohio) 264; 7. DePauw (Ind.) 275; 8. Wisconsin-Eau Claire 285; 9. Willamette (Ore.) 300; 10. Luther (Iowa) 325; 11. Colby (Maine) 358; 12. Wisconsin-Platteville 366; 13. Dickinson (Pa.) 385; 14. Williams (Mass.) 390; 15. Middlebury (Vt.) 410; 16. Nebraska Wesleyan 427; 17. Emory (Ga.) 447; 18. Wisconsin-La Crosse 452; 19. Wartburg (Iowa) 500; 20. Ithaca (N.Y.) 502; 21. Trinity (Tex.) 542; 22. College of New Jersey 564); t-23. Elizabethtown (Pa.) 581; t-23. Puget Sound (Wash.) 581; 25. St. Thomas (Minn.) 593; 26. Haverford (Pa.) 616; 27. Bowdoin (Maine) 618; 28. Kenyon (Ohio) 626; 29. Johns Hopkins (Md.) 660; 30. St. Olaf (Minn.) 690; 31. Colorado College 693; 32. Allegheny (Pa.) 803.

Sarah Grove

Individual Results (top 5 plus Elizabethtown): 1. Sarah Zerzan (Willamette) 20:54; 2. Liz Montgomery (Geneseo State) 21:17; 3. Alexandra Krieg (Middlebury) 21:23; 4. Becca Jordahl (Wisconsin-River Falls) 21:27; 5. Janet Dobyn (Luther) 21:28; 15. Erin Fisher 21:46; 87. Tiffany Kulp 22:54; 191. Megan VanDenHengel 23:33; 218. Kristen O'Brien 23:48; 261. Sarah Grove 24:18; 273. Sarah Merusi 25:10; 277. Amanda Daws 25:18.

-All photos by Tom "Drac" Williams

Sarah Merusi

Amanda Daws