Emory Women's Cross Country Team Finishes Second At NCAA South/Southeast Regional -- Qualifies For NCAA Championships

 The Emory University women's cross country team recorded a second-place finish out of 24 teams at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional Championships this morning and earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships next weekend in Hanover, Indiana.  Today's regional championships were held in Seguine, Tex., and hosted by Texas Lutheran University.

The Eagles totaled 55 points and finished runner-up to Trinity University's mark of 43 points.  Rounding out the top five teams were Washington & Lee (105 pts.), Rhodes College (141 pts.) and Christopher Newport (196 pts.).

Emory placed all five of its scorers among the top 20 entries in the 169-runner field.  Senior Melissa Jones (Zionsville, IN) paced the Eagles' pack with a 6K time of 22:37, good for sixth place overall.  Junior Rebecca Flink (Loudonville, NY) posted a showing of 22:46 that placed her in eighth position.  Freshman Tess Gallegos (22:51) and senior Natalie Waryck (23:08) registered 10th -and 12th - place efforts while senior Megan Shaughnessy (23:42) rounded out the team's scorers with a 19th-place performance.  All of the Eagles' top five runners earned all-region honors as did sophomore Natalie Fenn (Evanston, IL), who crossed the line in 34th place with a time of 24:20.

This year's second-place showing marks the 18th straight season that Emory has finished among the top two finishers at the NCAA Regional Championships.