Sophomore, jnior pace Hoosiers

After a weekend off, the women's cross-country team traveled back to West Lafayette for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional meet after taking third on the same course two weeks ago at the Big Ten Championships.\nThe team finished in fourth place with two runners in the top 15.\nSophomore Mindy Peterson led the team with a 10th place finish on the 6k course and a time of 21:42.2. Following closely behind Peterson was junior Audrey Giesler who finished 14th with a time of 21:46.8.\nRounding out the finishers for the Hoosiers were freshmen Jessica Gall (22nd, 22:01.6), Lindsay Hattendorf (40th, 22:24.4), junior Becky Obrecht (43rd, 22:27.1), sophomore Amber Miller (87th, 23:20.2) and freshman Kelly Siefker (85th, 23:30.6).\nPeterson said she went out harder than Giesler. The two eventually ended up running together and encouraged each other by tapping the other to let them know that they were there, she said.\n"I am really glad that we were able to work together this race," Peterson said. "I think it helped both of us."\nThe top two teams from each region receive an automatic bid to the NCAA National Championship Meet, which is next Monday in Terre Haute at the Vern Gibson Championship Course at Indiana State University. The team will find out today whether they have qualified for this race.\nThe Hoosiers remain positive, as they have beaten several of the teams that have already received automatic bids in other regions.\n"We have been consistent throughout the season," Gall said. "The Great Lakes Region is packed with good competition so it deserves to have a few of the at-large bids come from it."\nGall, a native of West Lafayette and an alumnus of West Lafayette High School, had an impressive high school cross-country career. She was the 2001 Indiana high school state cross-country individual champion -- her third straight top 10 finish -- and also finished 21st at the Foot Locker National Cross-Country Championship. Gall said it was nice being able to run in her hometown because many of her family and friends could come out to the course to cheer her on.\n"For me, one of the benefits of going to IU is that it is a Big Ten school, and I would have a few races every year in my hometown," Gall said.\nIf the team does receive a bid to the NCAA National Championship meet, Giesler said the team needs to take the attitude that this is what they have been working for and that there is no holding back.\n"I think if everyone takes a risk and maybe races out of her comfort zone, we might find ourselves finishing higher than we think," Giesler said.