Sept. 28, 2007

Final Stats

South Bend, Ind. - #3 Grand Valley State did not put any runners in the top ten, but all five point-getters finished close together and close to the top, leading the Lakers to a first-place finish in the Gold Division at the Notre Dame Invitational. Kelly Gibbons and Susie Rivard were the only Lakers in the top 20, but the team ran as a group and took first overall.

"The women did a nice job of moving up througout the race and using our pack to outscore everyone," said GVSU head coach Jerry Baltes.

Gibbons time of 18:14 was the best for GVSU and good for 12th overall. The top time at the event was 17:04 by Laura Rolf of Valparaiso University. Rivard finished second for Grand Valley, just ten seconds behind Gibbons with a time of 18:24. The Lakers finished with an overall score of 126, with Liberty University finishing second with a final score of 147. Santa Clara, Calvin College and Ball State University rounded out the top five in the Gold Division.

"We are thrilled to come out of the Notre Dame Invite with two team titles," Baltes said. "Both squads competed against some great competition and handled it very well."

Leah Borns finished 29th overall, crossing the tape at the 18:33 to place third for the Lakers. Megan Maceratini was right just one second behind her with a time of 18:34, finishing 31st overall. Lori Burgess rounded out the point-getters for GVSU, finishing 36th with a time of 18:38. The close running of the Grand Valley top runners allowed them to finish first overall despite not having any top ten finishers and gave them the lowest average time of all schools.

Lynsey Ardingo and Rebecca Winchester also ran well for Grand Valley, although they did not receive any points. Ardingo finished 40th and Winchester finished 44th, crossing the tape in 18:41 and 18:44, respectively.