JENNY IRWIN TO COMPETE IN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Senior Women's Cross Country Runner Advances Following Regional Performance

Cal-Poly Pomona will host the national championships with the women's six-kilometer (K) race set to begin at 2 p.m. (EST) on Chino Hills' Prado Park Course prior to the men's 10K event.

Irwin advanced individually to the national championships by virture of her fourth place All-Great Lakes Region performance last Saturday (Nov. 5) at the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Championships held on FSU's Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids, Mich. Irwin completed the 6K regional course in a time of 21:45.1. The top two individuals not associated with one of the top four qualifying teams also garnered national meet berths.

A four-year letterwinner, Irwin claimed first-team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) honors for the third consecutive season this campaign with a runner-up effort (22:57.6) at the 2005 GLIAC Championships (Oct. 22) in Marquette, Mich. She attained All-GLIAC accolades last season with a fourth-place (22:37.30) finish at the 2004 GLIAC Cross Country Championships (10/23) in Hudsonville, Mich. Irwin placed among the top five meet competitors in all seven of her races this campaign, which included five individual titles.

This season will mark the second consecutive year Irwin has advanced to the national championships. She placed 46th overall in the 2004 NCAA Division II Women's Cross Country National Championships (11/20) at Evansville, Ind. She was the lone Bulldog runner to compete in the national meet and completed the 6K course in a time of 23:16.8 last campaign.

The Bulldog women's team finished one spot short of qualifying as a team for the national championships as the Bulldogs placed fifth in the regional event for the second consecutive year under 10th-year head coach Jeff Kavalunas. FSU took third overall in the GLIAC Championships this season.

In addition to Irwin, freshman Mikinzie Stuart (Saginaw/Nouvel Catholic) also claimed all-region kudos with an 11th-place (22:27.9) performance at the Great Lakes Regional Championships.