The College's men's and women's cross country teams finished in the top 10 in team standings at the 2005 NCAA Division III Championships at Ohio Wesleyan University on Nov.12.
Rookie head coach Phil Jennings felt that the hard work the Lions put in this year resulted in top 10 finishes.
"It's a testament to our team and how well we worked this year," Jennings said.
Senior Jenna Fasulo was the College's top finisher for the women at 47th place on the 6,000 meter course. She completed the course for a time of 23:14, 12 seconds away from receiving Division III All-American Honors.
"I was shooting for the top 50 and ultimately top 35," Fasulo said of her own expectations.
The women's team finished 9th overall in team standings and has now finished in the top 15 in 10 of the last 11 NCAA Championships.
"We were shooting for a top 10 finish," Fasulo said. "We felt that if we did, that it would be a great accomplishment and it would be one of our best team finishes."
Another notable performance was by junior Kristen Pogorzekski who finished in 61st place in 23:26.
Senior Jeff Zodda was the Lions' top finisher for the men at 66th place for the 8,000 meter course in 26:55.
"I would've liked to finish in the top 50," Zodda said. "I could've (run) better but it wasn't too bad."
Freshman Christopher Guerriero finished in 71st place for his first NCAA event in 26:57.
Coming into the championship, the men's team was not ranked in the top 10.
"We were ranked 12th overall, which we thought was off," Zodda said. "We should've been in the top 10."
The men's team finished 10th overall and has now finished in the top 20 in eight of the last nine NCAA Championships.
Jennings was named the Atlantic Region Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year after leading the Lions to the Atlantic Regional Championship the week before.
Jennings attributed the award not for his own work but for the efforts of the runners on the team.
"A lot of it is a team performance and not the individuals," he said. "It's going to practice everyday working hard and trying to be the best."
