Oct. 16, 2007
Complete National Rankings
Complete Regional Rankings
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: October 16, 2007 - Thanks to an outstanding second-place finish at last Friday's Penn State National Invitational, the Nittany Lion women's cross country team has moved to No. 26 in this week's United State Track and Field Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) rankings. The ranking is the highest for the Lions since being rated No. 23 during the 2004 season.
The Lion women had a sensational day at high-caliber Penn State National, scoring 110 points to finish runner-up to 19th-ranked West Virginia. On their way to the medal stand, the Lions managed to best talented squads from Kentucky, Syracuse, Tennessee, and Duke, which was rated 17th at the time. The Lions have yet to finish outside of the top two in four meets this season, managing first-place efforts at the Lock Haven Dolan Duals (Aug. 31), Iona Meet of Champions (Sept. 22), and Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational (Sept. 29).
Four teams from the Mid-Atlantic Region are ranked among the nation's best, including West Virginia and Penn State, with Princeton and Georgetown rated fourth, and 11th, respectively. The Lions will vie for a spot at the NCAA Championships at the Mid-Atlantic Regional on November 10. The top two teams from each of the NCAA's nine regions receive automatic bids to the NCAA Championships, while 13 at large spots
The Lions will take the weekend off before heading to the Big Ten Championships in Columbus, Ohio, on October 28. The race will be no easy task, however, as a total on seven squads from the conference appear in this week's top 30, including four in the top 10. Michigan is the top Big Ten squad in this week's poll in sixth, followed by Michigan State in seventh, Minnesota in eighth, and Illinois in 10th. Iowa appears in 18th, while Wisconsin is ranked 21st.