Ladies to Race in NCAA Championship

GAMBIER, Ohio (November 18, 2008) For the second time in as many years, the Ladies will compete in the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship. One of 32 teams to gain entry to the national meet, Kenyon collected an at-large berth by virtue of its fourth-place finish in Saturday's Great Lakes Regional race at Otterbein College.

The appearance in the national spotlight is actually the program's third. In 1995 the Ladies qualified for the championship race and placed 19th among 21 teams. Last year's team finished 28th among 32 teams.

This year's Ladies squad is a young one, but has plenty of depth. Of the five runners who scored points for Kenyon at the regional race, two were sophomores and two were freshmen. In fact, it was freshman Morgan O'Connor that led the way. She clocked in at 23:03.51 and claimed an individual 15th-place finish in a field of 233 runners. Sophomores Lauren Brady and Chrissy Ostrowskiplaced 27th and 29th, respectively. By finishing among the race's top-35 runners, all three were named to the All-Great Lakes Region team.

Kenyon will also be able to rely on the experience of senior Jessica Francois, who placed 37th in the regional race last week and claimed 86th-place among 280 participants at last year's national championship.

Hanover College will host the championship race Saturday, November 22, at the L.S. Ayres Complex in Hanover, Indiana. The men's Division III championship race will begin at 11 a.m. and will be followed by the women's race at noon.