Nov. 22, 2008

Photo Gallery 

Results

Slippery Rock, Pa. - Megan Maceratini led six Lakers that placed in the top 30 at the Division II Women's Cross Country National Championships. Grand Valley State took second place with a score of 102, 81 points ahead of third place, tying the school's best-ever finish.

"We had a goal of winning the NCAA title and ending Adams State's run," head coach Jerry Baltes said. "Though it did not quite happen, we are truly proud of our effort. We were neck-and-neck with Adams with 1,000 meters to go and they finished out a bit stronger than us."

This marked the seventh consecutive year that the GVSU women have claimed a trophy at the national championships. Adams State claimed first place with a team score of 79. The individual champion was Jessica Pixler of Seattle Pacific, who finished the course in 20:59.

Maceratini's time of 22:15 earned her 14th place, while Katherine McCarthy took 18th place with a time of 22:24. Kelly Gibbons was the third Laker to cross the finish line, taking 21st place with her time of 22:30. Lynsey Ardingo was two seconds behind Gibbons, finishing in 22:32, which was good enough for 23rd place. Gibbons became the second Laker woman to compete in four national championships, joining Mandi Zemba.

"We are proud of senior Kelly Gibbons closing out her cross country career as an all-american and becoming the second female GVSU cross country runner to compete in four national championships," said Baltes. "She is in great company, as Mandi Zemba is the only other Laker to have done that."

Sarah Kulczyki rounded out the scorers for the Lakers, taking 26th place with her time of 22:37. Rebecca Winchester and Amy Kolin were the final runners for Grand Valley State. Winchester crossed the line in 22:43, while Kolin finished in 23:07. Winchester's time earned her 29th place and Kolin placed 43rd.

"We will return an incredible group of women that are hungry to win that first title in school history," said Baltes. "I know they have already set their sights on next year, and I am confident we will get it done."