FSU's Tina Muir Tabbed "Runner Of The Year"

Big Rapids, Mich. - Ferris State University junior Tina Muir (St. Albans, U.K.) has been tabbed as the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's (GLIAC) Women's Cross Country "Runner of the Year" following her performance at last week's league championships.

Muir won her fourth race in as many tries this campaign by capturing the individual title at the 2009 GLIAC Championships held last Saturday (Oct. 24) at the Maple Leaf Golf Course in Linwood, Mich. She completed the 6K women’s race in a time of 21:20.2 to finish 13 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher in the field of 137 runners. Her effort helped the nationally-ranked Bulldog women to a runner-up finish at the league championships.

Muir, who twice this season has received the GLIAC's Runner of the Week Award, also finished first this fall in the Ray Helsing Bulldog Invitational (Sept. 18), the Division II Pre-National Invitational (Sept. 26) and the Wisconsin-Parkside Lucian Rosa Invitational (Oct. 10).

She placed 12th overall at last year's nationals to become only the second All-American in Bulldog women's cross country history and FSU's highest finisher ever at the national championships as FSU wrapped up one of its most successful seasons ever with a 17th-place performance at the 2008 NCAA-II National Championships (11/22/08) held at Cooper's Lake Campground in Slippery Rock, Pa.

GLIAC Coach of the Year honors went to Grand Valley State's Jerry Baltes with the Lakers' Kaleigh Carlson chosen as the Freshman of the Year.

The Bulldog women's cross country team is currently ranked 18th nationally in the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II poll along with third in the Midwest Region.

FSU will take part in the 2009 NCAA-II Midwest Regional Championships on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Kenosha, Wis.  The regional event will be hosted by Wisconsin-Parkside.