Senior Julie Friend earned All-American honors
UPDATE: Nov. 18, 2017
Senior Julie Friend earned All-American honors at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, which took place in Evansville, Ind.
She finished 22nd out of 247 runners, becoming the first All-American in the history of Cal U's women's cross country program.
In the team standings, the Vulcans capped off an outstanding season with a 25th place finish.
ORIGINAL POST:
The women's cross country team will compete at the 2017 NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships Nov. 18 in Evansville, Ind.
The Vulcans finished in third place at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Championship at Lock Haven on Nov. 4 and qualified for Nationals as a team for the second time in three years.
As part of the team, redshirt senior Julie Friend heads to Nationals for the third time after winning the Regional with a time of 20:36.7. She also won the PSAC Cross Championship on Oct. 21.
A 2016-2017 Academic All-American, Friend finished third at the 2015 Atlantic Regional contest and was a redshirt in cross country last fall.
Senior Summer Hill also will make her third trip the Nationals after a third-place finish at the Regional with a time of 21:18.2 in only her second race of the season. She also finished in third place at the 2016 Regional.
Junior Alyson Pierce was Cal U's next best finisher at the Regional, with a 12th-place showing. This will be her second appearance at Nationals.
For their performance, Friend, Hill and Pierce earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) all-region honors.
Also competing at Nationals will be freshman Megan Bateman, sophomore Shae Grinnell, and juniors Jaclyn Reinbold and Katie Burgess. This will be their first appearance at the NCAA National Championships.
The top five finishers will be used in the team standings.