Cross country teams place 4th at Regionals

It took an entire season, but the women's cross country team finally ran the race they knew they were capable of running.\nThe men's and women's teams placed fourth Saturday at the Great Lakes Regional meet in Ypsilanti, Mich. \nAlthough the women's team was ranked ninth for the meet, they exceeded expectations, without the help of top runner sophomore Amanda Bell, who sat out with possible stress fractures in both legs.\nSophomore Allyson Hammond led the team with a fourth place finish in the 6K with a personal best time of 20:55. The finish automatically qualified her for the NCAA Championships Nov. 20 in Ames, Iowa. \nHammond was followed by juniors Erin Womble and Stephanie Magley, 26th and 28th place, respectively. Freshmen Lauren Weddell and Becky Obrecht rounded out the top five with 37th and 80th place finishes. \n"I know no one thought we were going to do this without Amanda Bell," women's coach Judy Bogenschutz said. "With her on a good day, we would have been second."\nBogenschutz said she was amazed with the other runners who stepped up their performances to compensate for Bell's absence. \nOne of the unexpected success stories from this meet was Obrecht, who was the crucial fifth runner, although she had only run one other varsity meet during the season.\n"I put a lot of pressure on myself because it was our only shot to make it to nationals," Obrecht said. "I kind of thought, 'What is the purpose of me going if not to score?' I think everyone really stepped it up and pulled it together when it counted."\nAlthough a fourth place finish is good enough to gain an at-large team bid to the national meet, the decision has not yet been made.\n"What a roller coaster," Bogenschutz said of the season. "If we go (to nationals), I'm going to be very surprised. It'd be tremendous if they gave us an at-large bid, but for these girls to put this together at the end like this is great for our future."\nIf they do not get a bid to nationals, this week will be a chance for the team to relax. Only Hammond will be training for her debut at the championship, and she is already formulating a strategy. \n"Mentally, since I've run on the course, I have an idea of what it's going to be like," Hammond said. "I'm sure I'll be rethinking how the course goes. I'll probably try to stay up with the top group and see how far up I can place."\nThe No. 15 men's team was ranked second in the Great Lakes region going into the meet, but their fourth place finish, coupled with their solid performances this season, will most likely be enough to secure them a bid to nationals.\nThe team performed well in the 10K, with four of the top five runners posting personal best times. No. 1 runner, senior Aaron Gillen, placed sixth with a personal best time of 31:08.\nHe was followed by sophomores Chad Andrews and Chris Powers, finishing in 12th and 28th places, respectively. Freshmen Jeff Zeha and Bart Phariss came in fourth and fifth for the team with 35th and 70th place finishes overall.\n"There were some spots we could have improved," Zeha said. "The five-man gap was too big. It's all about just going out and competing."\nThis could be the first time the men's team has gone to nationals since 1987, but the team chooses to not focus on the past. \n"I think this year it was more of an expectation," Zeha said. "It was time. There's really no hoping or nostalgia about it. We were just ready to go. The surprise would have been if we would have not made it to nationals."\nAt the battle for the NCAA Championship, the runners said they hope to place between 10th and 15th. To do this, they are will stick to the same training program they used before the Big Ten meet and the Regional meet.\n"It doesn't get much bigger than nationals," Zeha said. "We have a motto on the team that each meet is like going to war. We need a seven-man effort"