FSU'S JENNY IRWIN TO COMPETE IN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Junior Women's Cross Country Standout Advances Following Regional Performance
Junior Jenny Irwin (Scottville/Mason County Central) of the 2004 Ferris State University women's cross country team will compete in the 24th annual NCAA Division II Women's Cross Country National Championships slated to be held Saturday, Nov. 20, in Evansville, Ind.
The University of Southern Indiana will host the national championships with the 6K women's race set to begin at 1:15 p.m. (EST) on the Southern Indiana Cross Country Course following the men's 10K event.
Irwin advanced individually to the national championships by virture of her seventh place All-Great Lakes Region performance last Saturday (Nov. 6) at the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Championships held in Edwardsville, Ill. Irwin completed the 6K regional course in a time of 22:39.94. The top two individuals not associated with one of the top four qualifying teams also garnered national meet berths. The other individual spot was claimed by Southern Indiana's Heather Cooksey, who won the 148-runner race in a time of 22:00.23.
A three-year letterwinner, Irwin claimed first-team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) honors for the second consecutive season this campaign with a fourth-place effort (22:37.30) at the 2004 GLIAC Championships (Oct. 23) in Hudsonville, Mich. She attained All-GLIAC accolades last season with a seventh-place (22:29.8) finish at the 2003 GLIAC Cross Country Championships (10/25) hosted by Ferris State at Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids, Mich. Irwin, who also received 2003 Division II Cross Country Coaches Association Individual All-Academic Award recognition, placed among the top 10 meet competitors in six of her seven races this campaign which included two individual titles.
The Ferris State women's cross country team fell three points short of qualifying as a team for the national championships after recording 166 points while placing fifth in the regional event. FSU was ranked eighth nationally in the final (Nov. 1) NCAA Division II Cross Country Coaches Association Regular-Season National Poll under ninth-year head coach Jeff Kavalunas following its third place finish in the GLIAC Championships.
In addition to Irwin, senior Rachel Cox (Gladstone/Battle Creek Lakeview) also claimed all-region kudos with a 13th-place (22:54.75) performance at the Great Lakes Regional Championships.
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