Muir Wins Regional Athlete Of The Year Honor
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USTFCCCA Regional Awards Release (PDF)
Big Rapids, Mich. - Junior Tina Muir (St. Albans,
United Kingdom) of the Ferris State University women's cross
country team has been recognized as the United States Track and
Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II
Midwest Region Women's "Athlete of the Year" following her
championship performance in the 2009 NCAA-II Midwest Regional
Championships held last Saturday (Nov. 7) in Kenosha, Wis.
Muir previously was named to the USTFCCCA all-region squad, which
is based on final performances at the regional meet where she led
the nationally-ranked FSU women’s cross country team to its
second consecutive NCAA Division II National Championships berth by
running to a third-place team finish in the regional meet.
Ferris placed third in the regional for the second-straight
campaign and will next compete in the NCAA-II Championships this
Saturday, Nov. 21, in Evansville, Ind. FSU totaled 103 points
in placing behind regional champion Grand Valley State (26 points)
and runner-up Southern Indiana (76). The Bulldogs finished six
points ahead of fourth-place Hillsdale (109) as the top three teams
advanced to the national championships.
Muir clocked 21:33.2 in winning the region's individual title as
she finished nearly 11 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Mary
Ballinger of Southern Indiana. The women’s field included 134
runners. Muir’s victory represented her fifth individual
title in as many races this season. Previously, she was
chosen as the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
(GLIAC) Runner of the Year for the 2009 season.
Last year, the Bulldog women’s third-place regional finish
catapulted the squad to a 17th-place team finish at the 2008
NCAA-II Championships (11/22/08) held at Cooper’s Lake
Campground in Slippery Rock, Pa. The back-to-back third place
regional finishes under head coach Steve Picucci
represent the program's best showings since an identical
third-place finish at the 1990 NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional
Championships and it marks the first time in school history the
Bulldogs have qualified for the national championships two
consecutive years.
This year also represents only the fourth time in history the
Bulldog women's cross country team has qualified as a team for the
national championships as last year’s berth was the program's
first appearance since 1987. Ferris claimed Great Lakes Regional
crowns in both 1981 and 1987 to advance to the NCAA-II
Championships where they placed eighth and 11th overall,
respectively.
Muir earned All-America honors at the national championships last
season as the Bulldogs wrapped up one of their most successful
seasons ever. She placed 12th overall in a field of 189 runners to
become only the second All-American in Bulldog women’s cross
country history and FSU’s highest finisher ever at the
national championships.
The NCAA-II Championships will be hosted by Southern Indiana on
the USI Cross Country Course in Evansville with the women’s
race set to start at 12 p.m. (CT).