Complete Results

2010 All-Conference Teams

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. – Allegheny women's cross country delivered a tremendous effort at the 2010 North Coast Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday. Despite enduring a heartbreaking second-place finish, the Gators flashed their potential for a brilliant future and will be high in the mix at the NCAA Mid-East Regional in two weeks.

The Gators were picked to finish second in last week's pre-championship poll conducted by the league's head coaches however, few expected Allegheny to give nationally-ranked No. 22 Oberlin such a stiff challenge. The Blue and Gold placed two runners among the top four and finished with a team spread of just over one minute in a near-upset for the team title.

Sophomore Kelly Gallagher paced the Allegheny attack with a third-place effort. Clocking in at 23:11.8, Gallagher had a conservative start to the 6k circuit which led to a powerful finish and First-Team All-Conference accolades. Freshman Kristina Martin (23:19.5), who worked well with Gallagher throughout most of the race, outkicked Ohio Wesleyan's Cara DeAngelis en route to a fourth-place finish and recognition as the NCAC Rookie of the Year. With the strong finish, Martin became just the second harrier in team history and the first since Leah Shouey in 2001 to elicit the league's top rookie honor.

Senior Katie Stancik passed a pack of five runners at the end of the race, and blasted through the chute in 10th place to record her best individual finish at the conference championship. Stancik completed the course in 23:53.1 to earn an NCAC Second Team All-Conference spot.

Junior Amber Wetzel and sophomore Sara Mitrano closed out the Allegheny scoring by finishing 18th and 23rd, respectively. Wetzel, who picked up Honorable Mention All-Conference accolades, had an amazing race and was one of the biggest surprises on the day. She finished the day in a clip of 24:05.7, although if she finishes one second and one place higher, the Gators take the NCAC crown. Mitrano passed a pack of four Oberlin runners in the final kilometer and enjoyed a strong finish en route to a final time 24:17.9.

“I was extremely proud of our top five,” noted head coach Brent Wilkerson. “We showed ourselves and our opponents that we can compete and I'm excited to see what the next race brings. I'm not sure many people gave us a chance against a terrific Oberlin team, but we battled hard and was in it at the end.”

The second-place finish is the highest for Allegheny at the NCAC Championships since 2007 when the team secured its last team title. The Gators finished the meet with 58 points, while the Yeowomen secured its second consecutive championship with 56 points. Kenyon finished third on the team board with 86 points.