FSU's Muir Claims Top Regional Honor
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Big Rapids, Mich. - Senior 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" for the second consecutive campaign following her championship performance in the 2010 NCAA-II Midwest Regional Championships held recently (Nov. 20) in Louisville, Ky.
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 third-straight NCAA Division II National Championships berth by running to a second-place team finish in the regional meet.
In addition to Muir, freshman Samantha Johnson (Troy) also claimed all-region accolades from the USTFCCCA after her 11th-place individual regional finish.
Ferris placed among the top three in the regional for the third-straight campaign and will next compete in the NCAA-II Championships this Saturday, Dec. 4, in Louisville as part of the NCAA-II National Championships Festival. FSU totaled 79 points in placing behind regional champion Grand Valley State (26 points) while Hilldale took third (138) with the top three squads in the 22-team regional field all advancing to the national championships.
Muir finished first at the regional meet for the second consecutive year as she was clocked in 21:05.96 on the 6K course at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park and finished nearly five seconds ahead of second-place performer Katherine McCarthy of Grand Valley State. A total of 150 runners competed in the women's field.
The Ferris women's cross country team is ranked eighth in the latest USTFCCCA Division II National Rankings under third-year head coach Steve Picucci.
A year ago, FSU ran to a 11th-place team finish while tying for the second-highest finish in school history during the 2009 NCAA Division II National Championships (Nov. 21) in Evansville, Ind. It marked the second consecutive trip to nationals for the FSU women after they placed third in the regional for the second-straight campaign.
This year now represents only the fifth time in history the Bulldog women's cross country team has qualified as a team for the national championships as their 2008 and 2009 berths were the program's first appearances since 1987.
Last season, Muir took 12th place overall for the second-straight year at the 2009 NCAA Division II National Championships in earning All-America honors for the second consecutive campaign. Previously, she also claimed 2009 GLIAC Runner of the Year honors in addition to winning the regional award for the first time.
The NCAA-II Championships will take place on the same course as the regional championships in Louisville with the women's race set to start at 12 p.m. (ET) this Saturday.