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Cross Country Women 5th at NCAA Regional Championships
11/11/2006
The Lynx women's cross country team finished 5th out of 26 teams at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional Championships in Atlanta, Georgia. This race marks the 13th consecutive year that the Rhodes College women have placed in the top 5 at the Regional meet. Additionally, the women’s finish placed them second among all competing SCAC competition. With the new at-large selection process, a top 5 finish by the Lynx also qualifies them for consideration for a Nationals bid.
Freshman Chelsea Ouellette (Portland, ME/Deering) led the Lynx for the first time this year with a 19th place finish and All-Region honors. Her time of 24:27.5 for the 6,000 meter hilly course was only 27 seconds shy of a berth in the NCAA National Championships. Senior Courtney Cockerell (Kansas City, MO/Raytown) completed her collegiate cross-country career by finishing 33rd in a time of 25:03.3 for her third consecutive All-Region honor. Joining Oullette and Cockerell on the All-Region team is freshman Cybil Covic (Cordova, TN/Cordova) finishing in 35th with a time of 25:06.2.
Battling asthma for the final 4 kilometers, freshman Kate Scherer (Cincinnati, OH/St. Ursula) finished in 39th place with a time of 25:21.4, missing All-Region by only fifteen seconds. Junior Nici Thomas (Mechanicsville, VA/Atlee) rounded out the Lynx top 5 with a 57th place finish in a time of 26:06.6. Junior Jessye Bobinis was 6th for the Lynx (Pittsburgh, PA/Mt. Lebanon) finishing in 63rd place with a time of 26:29.3.
Also competing for Rhodes College was freshman Whitney Ranson (Pickens, SC/Asheville School) who was in the top 10 for much of the race. With less than a half mile to go, Ranson sustained an injury and was unable to finish.
“The women’s team competed fiercely,” said Coach Shankman. “With four freshmen in our top 5 we have a promising future. Next year, we hope to be in the mix for a top 2 finish and a return to the National Championships.”