The West Virginia University women\'s cross country team who went into the Mid-Atlantic region ranked 9th or 10th depending on the poll cited, walked away with a stunning 4th place finish. \"Our ultimate goal was fifth place,\" says coach Sean Cleary. \"To finish as strongly as we did is just amazing.\" Even more amazing is how it was done, with PRs for each of the scoring team members, with four freshman and with a team consisting of 6 WV women.
Princeton won the meet with 56 points, followed by Georgetown with 77 points and La Salle with 87 points. The Mountaineers scored 140 points for 4th place. The fifth place team was Villanova and sixth was Bucknell, both at 180 points. Penn and Penn State were next, separated by only one point at 197 and 198 respectively.
True freshman Marie Louise Asselin of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada led the team with a 12th place finish in 21:09 (a 35 second PR) to make the All Mid-Atlantic Regional team. She was followed by true freshman Keri Bland of North Marion in 19th place with 21:13 (a 34 second PR) who was also named to the All Mid-Atlantic Regional team. Redshirt freshman Clara Grandt of Doddridge missed the All Mid-Atlantic team by three spots in finishing 28th at 21:28 (a 26 second PR). Junior Maria Stover was 37th at 21:53 (an 18 second PR) and true freshman Maria Dalzot of Morgantown was 44th at 21:57 (a 27 second PR). Junior Nicole Lemal of Weir also PRed with her first sub 23 minute 4k in 22:53, good for 99th place. Allison Spiker of Ripley came into the meet with a late season sickness and struggled through a still respectable 23:04 for 107th place.
\"It\'s exciting where this program is headed,\" says Cleary. \"It\'s all wonderful for the state\'s distance runners.\"
Marian Brooks of Pikeview was the highest finishing Marshall lady as she placed 61st in 22:15 as she led her team to a 26th place finish.
Jon Nelson of Cabell Midland led the Marshall men to a 17th place finish as he ran the 10K course in 32:49.1 which was 82nd overall.