Crofford Finishes Ninth at NCAA Midwest Regional

Peoria, Ill. ? Freshman Lara Crofford took ninth place to lead the Husker women’s cross country team to a fourth-place finish with 130 points at the 2007 NCAA Midwest Regional in Peoria, Ill., Saturday afternoon.

 

The Huskers will now wait for the official bids to the NCAA Championships, which will be announced Sunday night. With a fourth-place team finish, the Nebraska women could qualify for the national meet for the first time since 2003.

 

Crofford, a native of Big Spring, Pa., added to one of the most impressive freshman seasons in school history, as she was the Huskers’ high finisher for the sixth time this season. A 2007 All-Big 12 selection, Crofford was named to the All-NCAA Midwest Region team, in addition to junior Natalja Zarcenko, who finished 22nd. Five NU women finished in the top 50.

 

Sophomore Rachel Carrizales was the Huskers' third finish in 33rd, while senior Joslyn Dalton (40th) rounded out the scoring Huskers. Minnesota won the women’s title with 79 points, followed by Illinois (91) and Iowa (111).

 

The Nebraska men had their highest regional placing since 2002 as it finished 12th with 299 points. Senior Peter van der Westhuizen was the top Husker in 43rd place. The captain led a pair of freshmen in Mikel Thomas (51st) and Todd Gulizia (52nd) to the finish line, with Kyle Custer (64th) and freshman Eric Thies (89th) also scoring points for Nebraska. OklahomaState won the men’s title with 47 points.