November 15, 1999

LADY ‘HOUNDS TO RUN AT NATIONALS FOR 7^TH STRAIGHT YEAR

BETHLEHEM, PA --- With a second place finish at last weekend’s NCAA Division III Mideast Regional hosted by Frostburg State University (MD), the Moravian College women’s cross country team has qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships for the seventh straight season.

The Lady Greyhounds, which have also won seven straight Middle Atlantic Conference Championships, are one of three teams that will represent the Mideast Region at the national meet to be hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in Oshkosh, Wisconsin this Saturday, November 20th. In its last six appearances in the national race, Moravian, which is coached by Mark Will-Weber, has finished in the top ten four times. The best finish for the Lady Greyhounds was in 1993 and 1995 when the squad was third overall. Moravian has also finished fourth in 1994, the year the Bethlehem school hosted the national meet, eighth in 1997 in Boston, MA, 13th in 1996 and 14th a year ago.

Leading this year’s team is a pair of sophomores Emily Shertzer (Hummelstown/Lower Dauphin HS) and Heidi Wolfsberger (Moosic/Riverside HS). Shertzer, who along with Wolfsberger has earned All-Mideast Region and All-MAC accolades the past two seasons, placed third at last weekend’s regional in a time of 18:47.00. Shertzer placed in the top ten in every meet this season and her lowest finish of the year was seventh at the Allentown College Invitational. Wolfsberger placed fifth at the Mideast Regional in 18:54.10 and was the MAC Individual Champion, extending Moravian’s string of individual champions to seven. Wolfsberger also finished in the top ten in every meet this season and won the Lafayette Invitational in September.

Moravian had two other runners earn All-MAC and All-Mideast Region honors. Junior Hannah Wood (Palm/Upper Perkiomen HS) placed 15th at the Mideast Regional in 19:33.10 and was fifth at the MAC Championships while sophomore Kim Jaick (Coopersburg/Southern Lehigh HS) was 30th at the Mideast Regional in 19:52.10 and placed sixth at the MAC Championships.

Rounding out the top seven for the Lady Greyhounds this season have been sophomore Erin Boyle (Philadelphia/Nazareth Academy), senior Maria Grabowski (Churchville/Villa Joseph Maria HS) and freshman Jen Wagner (Riegelsville/Wilson HS). Boyle was the fifth Moravian runner at the Mideast Regional and MAC Championships with finishes of 64th in 20:33.50 and 22nd, respectively. Grabowski and Wagner finished sixth and seventh on the team at the MAC Championships and reversed spots at the Mideast Regional. Last weekend in Frostburg, Maryland, Wagner placed 73rd in 20:45.60 while Grabowski was 87th in 21:01.90.