Nov. 15, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Looking to cap off another outstanding season, sophomore Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) will represent the Nittany Lion cross country team on Monday, at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, in Terre Haute, Ind. Franek will be making her second-career trip the national cross country meet, and her fourth NCAA appearance overall.
Franek has been on fire all season, running especially well in the last several meets this fall. Franek earned all-conference honors with a sixth-place finish at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships in October, before posting a fourth-place effort at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, securing a spot at the national championships.
Franek held her own in an elite Big Ten field, which featured nearly 20 All-Americans, finishing the 6,000-meter course in 20:16.99 - almost 30 seconds faster than her previous 6K best, and more than ten spots better than her conference finish as a freshman. Franek backed up her Big Ten performance with an outstanding regional race, where she clocked an impressive 20:13 over the rolling hills of the 6K course, setting a personal-best time for the second competition in-a-row. Franek's outstanding finish was the best regional standing by a Lion since Molly Landreth took fourth in 2003.
Franek, who is aiming to earn her first-career All-America certificate, was named Big Ten Runner of the Week on two occasions this season, and led her Nittany Lion squad to victories at the Lock Haven Dolan Duals, Iona Meet of Champions, and Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational.
Should Franek capture All-America honors, she would become the eighth cross country All-American in Penn State history. Penn State's highest-ever NCAA finish came from Suzanne Heyer, who placed 14th in 2000.
The men's championships race is set to go off at 12:05 p.m., with the women's race to follow at 12:55 p.m. The races will be broadcast LIVE on CSTV. A live feed can also be accessed at www.NCAASports.com.