Women CC 16th In Penn State National

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's cross country team finished in the middle of the pack at the prestigious Penn State National event held on Saturday (Oct. 16) in State College, Pa.

FSU came in 16th overall of 31 competing teams and took second among only five non-NCAA Division I institutions in the field on the Blue and White Golf Courses.

Villanova captured the overall team title with 26 points followed by Syracuse (57), Penn State (137), Miami (Ohio) (155) and Grand Valley State (166) in the top five.  GVSU was the only school from the Division II level to finish above the Bulldogs in the team race.

Ferris State's 16th-place effort came in ahead of such NCAA-I schools as South Florida (21st), George Washington (22nd), Pittsburgh (28th) and Detroit Mercy (31st).  A total of 12 Division I schools and three other D-II programs placed behind the Bulldogs in the team standings.

Senior Tina Muir spearheaded FSU's team effort with a 16th-place overall performance as she clocked 21:13 on the 6K course.

Freshman Samantha Johnson took 81st place (22:24), sophomore Anna Rudd was 134th (23:00), sophomore Shelby Janutol came in 143rd (23:05), freshman Brittany Anderson was 161st (23;14), sophomore Felicia Peacock took 224th (24:04) and finally sophomore Jordan McGuire placed 232nd (24:14) for the Bulldogs.

A total of 304 female finishers competed in the race, which was won by Villanova junior Sheila Reid in a time of 20:03 overall.

The Bulldog women are currently ranked ninth nationally in the latest United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) Division II Rankings along with second behind Grand Valley State in the Midwest Region.

Ferris State will return to action by sending selected competitors to the Eastern Michigan Classic on Saturday, Oct. 23, in Ypsilanti, Mich.