FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324

Results

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (Nov. 12, 2011)-- Anchored by top ten finishes from Krista Cota and Alicia Zimmerman the North Central College women's cross country team placed fourth at the 38-team NCAA Division III MIdwest Regional on Saturday at the Saukie Golf Course.

The 25th-ranked Cardinals tallied 150 points to capture fourth place. The top two finishing squads automatically qualify for next weekend's NCAA Division III National Championships while the a top five finishing team's are all eligible for selection to the meet.

Second-ranked Washington University in Saint Louis won the regional crown with a team score of 24 followed by the seventh-ranked University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (115 points). The University of Chicago was third with 146 points while the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point rounded out the top five with a team tally of 188.

Cota paced the Cardinals, traversing the 6,000-meter course in 21 minutes, 57.2 seconds to finish fifth. Zimmerman was close behind in seventh, crossing the tape in 22:03.1. Kala Bingham was the Cardinals' third finisher, placing 30th in 22:55.0. Maggie Lapinski and Amanda Marek finished 53rd and 55th, respectively, to round out the scoring five. Lapinski finished in 23:31.4 while Marek clocked a 23:34.6. Jordan Wagner was 86th in 24:14 while Amy Schwent placed 103rd in 24:29.6.

The NCAA will release its complete 32-team cross country championship field on Sunday. Cota and Zimmerman have already punched their tickets to the national championships as individuals by virtue of their top seven finishes. The 2011 NCAA Division III Championships will be held next Saturday at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne, Wis. The women's race is slated to begin at 11 a.m.