Middlebury's climb up the Division III women's cross country ladder reached the top rung November 18 as the Panthers won their first championship.

The meet was hosted by Whitworth at Wandermere Golf Course in Spokane, Washington.

Middlebury's five scorers combined for a team total of 103 points, giving the Panthers a winning margin of 20 points over second-place Williams. Luther was third at 196, followed by Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Moravian.

The Panthers, who were making their sixth appearance in the championships, including the last five years in a row, placed 17th in 1996, jumped to third the next year, fell back to seventh in 1998 and were the runners-up last season.

Jessica Johnston and Kasie Wallace gave Middlebury's effort a boost by finishing 11th and 13th, respectively. Molly Yazwinski was the third Middlebury runner across the finish line in 36th place.

Middlebury held just a two-point lead over Williams in the team scoring after each team's third finisher completed the race. However, Kate Irvin placed 47th and Sarah Day 65th for the Panthers, while Williams' fourth and fifth runners came in 62nd and 75th.

Williams wound up one spot behind Middlebury for the second consecutive championship. The Ephs, who were led this year by Joey Shapiro's third-place finish, placed third in 1999 behind champion Calvin and the Panthers.

Julia Benson was 29th and Courtney Benningson 31st for Williams, which was edged by Middlebury by only one point in the New England regional qualifying meet one week before the championships.

Johanna Olson of Luther captured the individual title. Her winning time of 17 minutes, 54.4 seconds for 5,000 meters was more than 16 seconds better than second-place Heidi Wolfsberger of Moravian.

Team results

1. Middlebury, 103; 2. Williams, 123; 3. Luther, 196; 4. Wis.-Oshkosh, 199; 5. Moravian, 218; 6. Neb. Wesleyan, 221; 7. Elmhurst, 225; 8. Geneseo St., 269; 9. Wis.-Stevens Point, 297;10. Ithaca, 303.

11. Col. of New Jersey, 307; 12. Baldwin-Wallace, 308; 13. St. Olaf, 314; 14. Calvin, 317; 15. Hamilton, 388; 16. Amherst, 390; 17. Chicago, 396; 18. Washington (Mo.), 397; 19. Wartburg, 402; 20. Concordia-M'head, 419.

21. Emory, 436; 22. Willamette, 483; 23. St. Lawrence, 521; 24. Colby, 580.

Individual results

1. Johanna Olson, Luther, 17:54.4; 2. Heidi Wolfsberger, Moravian, 18:10.6; 3. Joey Shapiro, Williams, 18:10.9; 4. Kelly Faris, St. Thomas (Minn.), 18:12.3; 5. Leslie Crofton, Tufts, 18:12.5; 6. Wendy Sullivan, Chicago, 18:13.9; 7. Jenni Markanich, Elmhurst, 18:15.3; 8. Becky Lebak, Wis.-Stevens Point, 18:19.2; 9. Lia Ossiander, Pacific Lutheran, 18:19.6; 10. Amanda Laytham, Ithaca, 18:19.9.

11. Jessica Johnston, Middlebury, 18:20.3; 12. Lisa Nicholson, Anderson (Ind.), 18:22.0; 13. Kasie Wallace, Middlebury, 18:25.3; 14. Alex Forte, Dickinson, 18:26.1; 15. Karin Diestelmeier, Wis.-Eau Claire, 18:26.7; 16. Leah Juno, Wis.-Stevens Point, 18:26.9; 17. Jen Rettke, Geneseo St., 18:29.1; 18. Jill Krebs, Western Md., 18:30.4; 19. Kaitlin Nelson, Hamilton, 18:31.8; 20. Courtney Clinard, Neb. Wesleyan, 18:32.1.

21. Mary Proulx, Keene St., 18:33.4; 22. Sarah Byrd, Emory, 18:33.6; 23. Dar Amelse, Wis.-Oshkosh, 18:33.8; 24. Ellie Irons, Claremont-M-S, 18:34.1; 25. Katie Scangos, Amherst, 18:34.4; 26. Emily Shertzer, Moravian, 18:34.6; 27. Casey Smith, Roanoke, 18:34.9; 28. Jessica Dober, Wis.-La Crosse, 18:35.7; 29. Julia Bensen, Williams, 18:36.3; 30. Mariko Tansey Holbrook, Brandeis, 18:38.1.

31. Courtney Bennigson, Williams, 18:38.7; 32. Beth Peterson, Washington (Mo.), 18:39.6; 33. Amy Young, William Smith, 18:40.4; 34. Barbara Swallow, Springfield, 18:42.0; 35. Maura Danahy, Connecticut Col., 18:44.3; 36. Molly Yazwinski, Middlebury, 18:45.4; 37. Maree George-Milles, Pacific Lutheran, 18:46.0; 38. Adrienne Gough, DePauw, 18:47.3; 39. Hanna Purdy, Baldwin-Wallace, 18:47.9; 40. Sara Holewinski, Wis.-Oshkosh, 18:48.3.

41. Jennifer Stieg, Connecticut Col., 18:48.8; 42. Liz Woodworth, Wis.-Oshkosh, 18:49.2; 43. Megan Daymont, St. Olaf, 18:50.5; 44. Heidi Brenden, Concordia-M'head, 18:51.9; 45. Meg Riddell, Trinity (Tex.), 18:52.6; 46. Darlene Duncan, North Park, 18:54.5; 47. Kate Irvin, Middlebury, 18:56.9; 48. Karen Petouvis, Col. of New Jersey, 18:57.5; 49. Kristin Igielski, Carroll (Wis.), 18:58.4; 50. Kim Jaick, Moravian, 18:58.9.

51. Kathleen Brice, Elmhurst, 18:59.2; 52. Siri Thompson, Luther, 19:00.0; 53. Angela Jacquez, Claremont-M-S, 19:00.2; 54. Erin Brice, Elmhurst, 19:01.1; 55. Claire McGuire, Col. of New Jersey, 19:01.6; 56. Jokotade Agunloye, Swarthmore, 19:01.9; 57. Lisa Demerath, Dubuque, 19:02.2; 58. Ember Brosius, Gordon, 19:02.9; 59. Katie Milbrett, St. Olaf, 19:03.1; 60. Marisa Clapp, Springfield, 19:03.5.

61. Erinn Boot, Calvin, 19:04.2; 62. Katie Sharff, Williams, 19:04.4; 63. Susan McWilliams, Oswego St., 19:04.6; 64. Laura Fuduric, Baldwin-Wallace, 19:04.9; 65. Sarah Day, Middlebury, 19:05.1; 66. Susanne Swanson, Neb. Wesleyan, 19:06.1; 67. Gina Morgan, Neb. Wesleyan, 19:06.4; 68. Kerry Miller, Emory, 19:06.6; 69. Erin Boyle, Moravian, 19:06.9; 70. Karin Ericson, Middlebury, 19:07.1.

71. Katie Martin, Concordia-M'head, 19:07.4; 72. Jennie Wood, Whitman, 19:07.6; 73. Erin Van Zee, Wartburg, 19:07.9; 74. Jenarah Tekippe, Luther, 19:08.1; 75. Maya Kessler, Williams, 19:08.4; 76. Michela Adrian, Middlebury, 19:09.0; 77. Lauren Byler, Ithaca, 19:09.7; 78. Jessica Rohrig, Neb. Wesleyan, 19:10.6; 79. Kate Underwood, St. Lawrence, 19:10.8; 80. Amber Sigler, Anderson (Ind.), 19:11.1.

81. Erin Albright, Elmhurst, 19:11.4; 82. Erin McDonald, Geneseo St., 19:13.0; 83. Sandy Tecklenburg, Wooster, 19:14.5; 84. Robyn Siedschlag, Luther, 19:15.2; 85. Kelly Duffy, Plattsburgh St., 19:15.6; 86. Tiffany Frazar, Colby, 19:15.9; 87. Lauren Dean, Cabrini, 19:16.1; 88. Meredith Godreau, Bowdoin, 19:16.5; 89. Darcy Flora, Chicago, 19:16.9; 90. Amy Edwards, Loras, 19:17.5.

91. Melissa White, Geneseo St., 19:17.6; 92. Katherine Koepke, Sewanee, 19:18.0; 93. Jennifer Cammarano, Hamilton, 19:18.2; 94. Katie Roden, Rensselaer, 19:18.9; 95. Kelly Ortiz, Col. of New Jersey, 19:20.0; 96. Rashel Workman, Calvin, 19:20.3; 97. Liz Connors, Macalester, 19:20.7; 98. Colleen Forbes, George Fox, 19:21.2; 99. Lillian Jones, Ithaca, 19:21.5; 100. Sarah Hastings, Calvin, 19:21.8.

101. Aimee Gibbs, Chris. Newport, 19:22.0; 102. Katie Famous, Amherst, 19:22.4; 103. Jane McDermott, Luther, 19:22.8; 104. Nicole Drouhard, Baldwin-Wallace, 19:23.6; 105. Melissa Roether, Ithaca, 19:24.6; 106. Lisa Starkey, Willamette, 19:24.9; 107. Jackie Munoz, Wis.-Oshkosh, 19:25.1; 108. Sue Hardtke, Wis.-Oshkosh, 19:25.4; 109. Anne Sateren, St. Olaf, 19:25.9; 110. Amie Brunko, Wartburg, 19:26.3.

111. Brigid Franey, St. Olaf, 19:26.5; 112. Julie Finn, Geneseo St., 19:27.0; 113. Susan Chou, Washington (Mo.), 19:27.2; 114. Joanna Zieno, Geneseo St., 19:27.5; 115. Jessie Lair, Calvin, 19:27.8; 116. Molly Burnett, Amherst, 19:28.1; 117. Lauren Wiener, Williams, 19:28.8; 118. Bridget Wiedl, Oswego St., 19:29.0; 119. Tonya Lumphrey, Neb. Wesleyan, 19:29.7; 120. Zoe Swenson, Chicago, 19:29.9.

121. Marcie Fisher, Wis.-Stevens Point, 19:30.5; 122. Abi Gerstle, Wittenberg, 19:31.3; 123. Lydia Gibson, Rhodes, 19:31.8; 124. Burke Duncan, Wash. & Lee, 19:32.7; 125. Beth Vesey, Col. of New Jersey, 19:33.4; 126. Stacy Ernst, Wartburg, 19:34.2; 127. Lindsay Carrier, Calvin, 19:34.7; 128. April Halkoski, Wis.-Stevens Point, 19:35.3; 129. Liz Rodda, Willamette, 19:36.1; 130. Sarah Gritter, Calvin, 19:36.6.

131. Jessica Carmona, Baldwin-Wallace, 19:36.9; 132. Alyson Grant, Hamilton, 19:37.1; 133. Christina Raulli, St. Lawrence, 19:38.6; 134. Sarah Bardenett, Hamilton, 19:39.0; 135. Emily Lobsenz, Amherst, 19:39.7; 136. Julie Arthur, Luther, 19:40.0; 137. Cristy Amenson, Carroll (Wis.), 19:40.3; 138. Kari-Anna Wing, Emory, 19:40.5; 139. Mindy Kuhl, Washington (Mo.), 19:40.8; 140. Lynn Katanik, Baldwin-Wallace, 19:41.0.

141. Heather Brenden, Concordia-M'head, 19:41.2; 142. Amber Strickler, Willamette, 19:41.5; 143. Deia Schlosberg, Washington (Mo.), 19:41.7; 144. Kristen Nauman, Wartburg, 19:42.0; 145. Tovah Mendoza, Wis.-Oshkosh, 19:42.8; 146. Kara Krumenhauer, Wis.-Whitewater, 19:44.3; 147. Beth Moen, Concordia-M'head, 19:45.2; 148. Amy Tolosky, Plattsburgh St., 19:45.9; 149. Jenni Janssen, Wartburg, 19:46.6; 150. Elizabeth Roller, Williams, 19:47.1.

151. Lindsay Scarborough, Col. of New Jersey, 19:47.3; 152. Adrien Ricci, Elmhurst, 19:47.8; 153. Sara Bailie, Wis.-Oshkosh, 19:48.2; 154. Maura Hardy, Chicago, 19:48.4; 155. Melanie Mikecz, Washington (Mo.), 19:48.7; 156. Laura Medema, Calvin, 19:49.5; 157. Nattalie Wright, Willamette, 19:49.7; 158. Michelle Drobac, Elmhurst, 19:50.6; 159. Megan Magnall, St. Olaf, 19:51.0; 160. Samantha Haydu, Col. of New Jersey, 19:51.2.

161. Erin Dowgwillo, Wis.-Stevens Point, 19:51.5; 162. Katie Macdonald, Colby, 19:52.1; 163. Melissa Hayman, St. Lawrence, 19:52.3; 164. Sara Scholtes, Luther, 19:52.5; 165. Sarah Armstrong, Neb. Wesleyan, 19:52.9; 166. Anne Ruminski, Ithaca, 19:53.7; 167. Annie Mockford, Willamette, 19:54.2; 168. Emily Lahowetz, Washington (Mo.), 19:55.0; 169. Mary Phelps, Colby, 19:55.2; 170. Melissa Antunes, Ithaca, 19:55.9.

171. Jennifer Begue, Baldwin-Wallace, 19:56.5; 172. Susan Knapp, Geneseo St., 19:57.6; 173. Isabelle Delannay, Wis.-Stevens Point, 19:57.8; 174. Jen Wagner, Moravian, 19:58.1; 175. Krista Cummisford, Elmhurst, 19:58.9; 176. Amy Barr, St. Lawrence, 20:00.3; 177. Marit Grorud, St. Olaf, 20:04.0; 178. Leigh Baumgart, Geneseo St., 20:04.7;

179. Morgan Doherty, St. Lawrence, 20:06.6; 180. Michelle Carbone, Emory, 20:07.7.

181. Megan Lavicky, Neb. Wesleyan, 20:08.3; 182. Kara Vosters, Wis.-Stevens Point, 20:09.0; 183. Mariah Kennedy, Willamette, 20:09.7; 184. Christine Campbell, Hamilton, 20:11.0; 185. Lindsay Hyman, Ithaca, 20:11.7; 186. Megan Hoar, Colby, 20:11.9; 187. Jessica Textoris, Baldwin-Wallace, 20:12.8; 188. Rebecca Woo, Amherst, 20:13.0; 189. Hannah Wood, Moravian, 20:13.4; 190. Jenni Hedrick, Wartburg, 20:13.6.

191. Karen Stout, St. Lawrence, 20:13.9; 192. Sarah Getchell, Colby, 20:16.4; 193. Elizabeth Guancial, Hamilton, 20:21.6; 194. Niki Voelkel, Chicago, 20:25.1; 195. Megan Call, St. Olaf, 20:26.6; 196. Lisa Owen, Concordia-M'head, 20:29.4; 197. Tara Bruck, Wartburg, 20:34.3; 198. Andrea Newberry, Washington (Mo.), 20:35.9; 199. Tasha Stryker, Emory, 20:36.9; 200. Ashley Kimmet, Moravian, 20:37.7.

201. Evelyn Williams, Willamette, 20:38.7; 202. Jocelyn DePue, St. Lawrence, 20:40.7; 203. Rachel Meiklejohn, Colby, 20:46.5; 204. Erinn White, Amherst, 20:49.5; 205. Diana Rancourt, Amherst, 20:49.9; 206. Kate Isley, Colby, 20:53.2; 207. Deirdre Kelly, Chicago, 20:54.4; 208. Heather Shulstad, Concordia-M'head, 20:59.3; 209. Clarisse Mesa, Chicago, 21:08.3; 210. Emily Judd, Concordia-M'head, 21:10.0.

211. Laura Young, Emory, 22:02.9.