Joplin, MO - All-American performances by seniors
Melissa Agnew and
Dakota Wolf at the 2012 NCAA Women's Cross Country Championships led the University of Mary to 13
th place nationally in the team standings. This was the Marauders fourth straight trip to the NCAA championships, and Agnew and Wolf were part of each appearance.
Earning NCAA All-American honors for the third straight year, Agnew finished seventh in the nation, her best performance ever. The senior from Onamia, MN, crushed the course in a time of 20:29.9. Running eighth at the halfway point, Agnew increased her pace and improved a slot in the standings. She was the top performer among Northern Sun student-athletes. Agnew placed 17
th in 2011.
Wolf picked up All-American honors for the second straight season. A native of Dickinson, ND, Wolf claimed 29
th overall. She traversed the trail in 21:11.0.
Running third for the Marauders was
Alicia Nehl. The senior from Watauga, SD, placed 41
st overall and just missed All-American status by one place and two seconds. Running 60
th at the halfway point she passed 19 runners in the second half of the race. After placing 128
th a year ago in her first national meet, Nehl closes out her career with a time of 21:25.2.
Sarah Grimm and
Kayla Carlson rounded out the team scoring for the Marauders. Grimm placed 177
th overall in a time of 23:02.6. Carlson, making her third appearance at the NCAA championships, ran a 23:07.6 to finish 183.
Kelsey Lambrecht and
Nicole Huelsman finished back-to-back but didn't score for U-Mary. Lambrecht (24:10.7) placed 227
th and Huelsman (24:19.6) was 228
th.
The Marauders registered 370 team points to place 13
th. U-Mary finished 5
th in the nation last year after placing 11
th in 2010 and 18
th in 2009.
Grand Valley State won the team title with 101 points, followed by Augustana (104) and Adams State (109).
Thirty-two teams and 249 runners competed at the NCAA championships.
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