Saturday, October 8, 2011
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Led by freshman Mariel Fulton (Louisville, Colo.), the Drake women's cross country team earned third-place honors at the Walt Disney Cross Country Classic on Saturday (Oct. 8).
Fulton ran the 5,000-meter race at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in 19:12.70 to earn 11th-place.
Senior Kirsten Lake (Parker, Colo.) was 20th crossing the line in 19:25.70, while freshman Melissa Parks (Norfolk, Neb.) achieved 24th-place with a time of 19:29.60.
Sophomore Celia Venezia (Labadie, Mo.) and freshman Krista Maguire (Wasau, Wis.) ran the relatively flat course in 19:42.20 and 19:43.70 to finish 29th and 30th, respectively.
The Bulldogs registered 114 points to come in behind Tampa and Florida Atlantic, while battling wet conditions for the first time this year.
"Our underclassmen women stepped up today and had some good races in adverse weather conditions," commented head coach Dan Hostager. "They will keep improving as they gain more confidence at the collegiate level."
Drake will travel to Peoria, Ill., on Oct. 14 to partake in the Bradley Classic. It will mark the final meet for the squad before the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championship on Oct. 30 in Terre Haute, Ind.
