Tuesday, November 25, 2008
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Last year, Erin Bedell struggled with illness and injury, and couldn’t run at the pace she wanted.
This year, she’s an All-American.
The Baylor junior charged to a career-best 28th showing on a cold, blustery afternoon at the NCAA Cross Country Championships Monday, earning All-America honors as one of the top 40 Americans to cross the line.
“Erin had a bit of a cold, and she would have liked to finish a little higher, but she still got after it,” Baylor coach Todd Harbour said. “Especially thinking about where she came from last year.”
Ranked 18th in the nation heading into the meet, the Baylor women finished 19th overall with 484 points, with three runners earning top-100 finishes.
Bedell, who clocked a time of 20:40 over the 6,000-meter course, becomes the fifth BU runner to earn All-America status, joining Natalie Nalepa (1990-91), Sherri Smith (‘98), Karin Ernstrom (‘99) and Lauren Hagans (2007).
BU’s Nichole Jones finished 64th in a time of 21:04 and Danielle Bradley was 89th at 21:18. Rounding out Baylor’s scoring were Renae Van Whye in 142nd and Jessi Barnes in 161st.
Texas Tech senior Sally Kipyego made history by becoming the first woman to win three straight NCAA titles, leading almost wire-to-wire in a time of 19:29. The dominant Washington Huskies won the team title, placing five runners in the top 26.
Led by overall champion Galen Rupp, Oregon won the men’s team title going away.







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