The NCAA News - News and Features

November 10, 1997

Division III Women's Cross Country

Titans hope to claim fourth title

Event: 1997 Division III Women's Cross Country Championships.

Overview: Wisconsin-Oshkosh, which snapped Cortland State's four-year title reign in 1996, looks to extend its run as champion. The Titans, who have claimed three titles, hope to join Cortland State (six) and St. Thomas (Minnesota) (four) as the only teams to win at least four championships. Wisconsin-Oshkosh, which outdistanced runner-up St. Thomas by 51 points in 1996, is ranked No. 1 in the coaches' poll. The Titans, who finished second at the Wisconsin-Parkside Invitational (a meet that included No. 3-ranked Calvin and several highly ranked Division II schools), are led by Tiffany Speckman and Jenn LaLonde. Speckman and LaLonde, each of whom posted top-20 showings at the 1996 championships, top an experienced corps that includes Laura Nelson, Christy Thurston and Laura Kaste. Speckman, the squad's top performer, has enjoyed an outstanding 1997 campaign, posting top-10 finishes at the Midwest Collegiate Championships (September 20), Notre Dame Invitational (October 3) and Wisconsin-Parkside Invitational (October 18) .... Several teams, led by St. Thomas and Calvin, seek to end the Titans' stay at the top. St. Thomas, ranked No. 2, hopes to earn its first title since 1987. The Tommies showcase a group that includes senior Melissa Schuch, sophomores Heather Phillips and Erin Ward, and freshman Kelly Faris. Faris, Schuch and Phillips placed third, fourth and sixth, respectively, at the Tori Neubauer Invitational October 18 to help the Tommies to the team title .... Calvin and Williams, which finished fourth and fifth in 1996, will vie for their first titles. Senior Andrea Clark, junior Sarah Gibson and sophomore Lisa Timmer set the pace for the Knights, who placed third at the Parkside Invitational.

Field: A total of 184 individual competitors will be selected. Twenty-one teams of seven individuals each -- with at least one team from each of eight regions -- plus 37 individuals (at least three individuals from each region) will make up the field.

Dates and sites: Regional qualifying was November 8 at eight sites. The championships will be November 22 at MIT.

Information/results: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/399-3060 (passcode 1915); request numbers are 1290 for dates and sites and 5078 for championships results. Regional and championships results also will be available on the World Wide Web at www.ncaa.org. Regional results will be published in the November 24 issue of The NCAA News and championships results will be published December 1.