Nov. 2, 2002

ATLANTA, Ga. - Marked by a season of consistent improvement, the women's cross country team continued this trend at the 2002 ACC Championships in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday. The meet, hosted by Georgia Tech and attended by several nationally ranked schools, saw the Terps achieve their highest team ranking since 1991.

Last year Maryland finished eighth to break a three-year ninth place streak, and this year, the young squad again raised the bar by taking seventh in the highly competitive nine-team field. The Terps were able to edge out Georgia Tech, a team ranked fourth in the South region.

For the first time in Atlantic Coast Conference history, two teams shared the women's cross country team title, as sixth-ranked NC State and fourth-ranked Wake Forest tied with 61 points. The split championship marks NC State's claims 20th league title, while Wake Forest earned its first ACC crown. Virginia, ranked 16th in the national poll, tallied 78 points to round out the top three teams.

In the individual competition, North Carolina junior Shalene Flanagan posted a time of 20:06.3 on the 6,000 meter course to claim her third consecutive individual title. Continuing an outstanding season, freshman Katie Purcell (Coraopolis, Pa.) paced the Terps for the fifth time, earning 27th place with a 22:06.1. This shows a remarkable improvement for the young team, as the top finishing Terp at last year's ACC Championships earned 55th place. Coming in 40th was freshman Allison Carney (Las Vegas, Nev.), with a 22:38.3. Also finishing well were freshman Cori Koch (Lutherville, Md.) and junior Kim Smith (Glastonburg, Conn.), who took 44th and 51st place, respectively.

2002 ACC Women's Cross Country Championship Results
1. NC State (61 points)
1. Wake Forest (61)
3. Virginia (78)
4. Duke (81)
5. North Carolina (88)
6. Florida State (134)
7. Maryland (203)
8. Georgia Tech (214)
9. Clemson (284)


2002 ACC Women's Cross Country All-Conference Team
1. Shalene Flanagan, North Carolina, 20:06.03
2. Vicky Gill, Florida State, 20:18.5
3. Kristin Price, NC State, 20:33.8
4. Annie Bersagel, Wake Forest, 20:50.6
5. Clara Horowitz, Duke, 21:11.1
6. Josi Lauber, NC State, 21:14.8
7. Kara Scanlin, Virginia, 21:19.7
8. Risa Rutland, Wake Forest, 21:23.4
9. Kristina Roth, NC State, 21:25.7
10. Jane Marwell, Virginia, 21:26.4



Freshman of the Year: Clara Horowitz, Duke

For complete results, click here.