Sept. 25, 1999
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern University women?s cross country team continued its impressive fall, finishing a stunning third out of 23 teams at the Sam Bell Invitational Saturday morning.
The race was hosted in Bloomington, Ind., by Indiana University and run on the 5-kilometer course that will serve as the site of November?s NCAA Championships.
The Wildcats scored 138 points. Arkansas ? ranked third in the FinishLynx preseason poll ? rolled to the win, collecting each of the top four individual spots and scoring 22 points overall, while ninth-ranked North Carolina State was second with 97 points. Two other Big Ten schools competed in the race ? 11th-ranked Michigan tied South Florida for fourth with 143 points, five behind the Wildcats, while the host Hoosiers scored 210 to place seventh.
Cherisse Lancaster led the charge for Northwestern, placing fifth overall in a time of 17:52.7. Mary Beth Ellis was 16th in 18:22.8. Jennifer Anderson (25th, 18:40.6), Shannon McGowan (42nd, 29:02.9) and Maureen Farrell (50th, 19:11.8) were the other ?Cats to score.
Northwestern ? in just its second year as a varsity program ? will next compete at the Loyola Invitational next Saturday.