For the Maryland women's cross country team, the 2005 season was nothing short of spectacular, as it held numerous individual accolades, several impressive team finishes at highly-respected competitions and the program's first ever national ranking.

Leading the way for the Terps was a band of veteran runners, each of whom demonstrated steady production and strong leadership skills throughout the season. At the head of the pack for the Terps all year were senior Cori Koch and junior Laurel Jefferson. Koch led Maryland at five of the Terps' seven meets this season, while Jefferson paced the squad at the other two competitions. Koch also recorded two runner-ups finishes and Jefferson registered four.

The Terps were not simply a two-headed force, though. Seniors Allison Carney, Shari Gorga, Katie Purcell, Danielle Siebert and sophomore Meghan Braffet made up the rest of an experienced Maryland attack, one that was augmented by the emergence of freshman Kylynn McKinley. All season long, Maryland was strong from 1-7, only once registering a 1-5 split greater than 1:00.

In their season opener, the Terps placed third out of five teams at the Great Meadows Invitational on Sept. 10. Koch finished 10th overall, setting a new PR at 17:56.0. She was followed by Jefferson in 15th (18:28.0). A total of 13 runners competed for the Terps, who put nine in the top 30 and recorded a season low 0:49 1-5 split.

At the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, N.C. a week later, Maryland finished seventh out of 12 schools. Koch came in 26th overall (18:01.70) and Jefferson came in 30th, crossing in (18:13.70). Gorga also placed 45th with a time of 18:34.0.

Next, the Terps set their sights on the prestigious Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa., which featured some of the top teams in the country. Maryland rose to the challenge, finishing fourth out of 47 teams with 226 points. The Terps finished ahead of No. 8 Villanova and just one place behind No. 15 Tennessee. Jefferson led the way for the Terps, finishing 20th overall with a time of 21:08.70. Koch placed 27th in 21:22.40 and Purcell and Gorga finished 49th and 59th, respectively.

Following the event, which Garrison called a "landmark performance," the women cracked the FinishLynx national poll, debuting at No. 29 in the Oct. 3 rankings.

"I am immensely proud of our kids. Their hard work and commitment to the team and to each other is paying off," Garrison said following news of his squad's recognition. "This is a proud day for our program and we are looking forward to the rest of the season."

After savoring the accomplishment for the next 12 days, it was back to business as usual for the Terps as they participated in the Penn State National meet in State College, Pa. Mayland placed 10th out of 34 teams, led by Koch who finished 21st overall.

On Oct. 31 the Terps headed to Tallahassee, Fla. for the ultra-competitive Atlantic Coast Conference Championship meet. Going up against a field that included six ranked teams, Maryland came in eighth overall in the 6K race. Jefferson led Maryland in 26th place, crossing in 20:26.70.

Next, Maryland took part in the NCAA Regional on Nov. 12, held on the same course that hosted the Paul Short. With 187 points, the Terps tied for fifth overall, the best finish in program history. Finishing 18th overall in 21:14.0 was Koch, who was named All-Mid-Atlantic Region for her performance. Braffet, running in just her second race of the season after missing the first three months due to injury, came in 29th with a mark of 21:35.30.

The Terps finished the year on a strong note, placing second out of 12 at the IC4A/ECAC Championship in the Bronx, N.Y. on Nov. 19. Koch and Jefferson once again paced the squad, coming in sixth and seventh, respectively. Purcell finished 20th for the Terps in 18:39.60. For their efforts, the three athletes were named All-East.

"We had a breakthrough season," said Garrison. "Everyone showed vast improvement. The fact that we got to the end of the year and our top 10 are healthy and in tact really bodes well for our future."