FINAL RESULTS
PHOTO GALLERY

ELSAH, Ill. – The Otterbein University women's cross country program represented on the national stage for the first time since 2003 Saturday afternoon, finishing 29th out of 32 schools at the NCAA Division III Championships.

The Cardinals, recording 601 points, were the only Ohio Athletic Conference school competing at the North Farm Course. Principia College served as the meet host this year, and Johns Hopkins tallied its second-straight national title at nearly 100 points clear of the field.

 

Otterbein was led by standout junior Claire Lamb, who found a bit of redemption by running her way to All-American honors with a time of 21:18.3 to cross 22nd out of 279 total runners. The top-40 finishers now earn national honors (as opposed to the top-35 in previous years) and Lamb nearly missed out last fall by coming in 37th with an almost identical time.

"It was no doubt the hardest course I have ever raced," Lamb said. "Between the hills, the constant wind and the tough field, there was never a moment where you could just settle in. This was the first time I have crossed the finish line of a cross country race and felt like I had nothing left."

Lamb is now just the second All-American in program history, joining Marcia Foulke Zeigler who earned the status by finishing 30th back in 1995.

Junior Heather Sandvik was second to cross the tape on the 6K course for Otterbein, finishing in 51st place with a time of 21:47. She was 10 seconds away from a top-40 finish and 14 seconds outside the All-American cutoff.

The rest of the Cardinal lineup finished a bit farther back, with freshman Lorenza Savini finishing third amongst the team and 233rd overall in a time of 23:16. Junior Katy Foltz (23:20) was right behind in 240th place while sophomore Allison Currey (23:30) ended nine spots back.

Sophomore Allison Rogiers (24:04) and freshman Sydney Smith (24:05) finished right next to each other and just one second apart to culminate the Otterbein squad.

"Having the entire team here with me this year was awesome," added Lamb, who had competed individually the previous two seasons. "It's so much easier for us to find motivation when the group is together and we are running for one another. Doing all of this together makes the experience more meaningful."

Otterbein had another memorable season this past fall, capturing its third-straight OAC and All-Ohio Championships while spending the entire year in the national poll.