Nov. 15, 2008

PRINCETON, N.J. - After a third place finish at the Mid-Atlantic Regional, the No. 5 Villanova women's cross country team earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships, announced on Sunday evening. The Wildcats finished with 59 points at the regional, just eight points behind West Virginia and Princeton who tied with 51 points.

Senior Frances Koons claimed the individual title in the 6K as she crossed the finish line in 21:11. Freshman Bogdana Mimic clocked in at 21:33 to finish fifth overall.

The Wildcats had four finish in the top 25 as sophomore Callie Hogan ran the course in 21:53 finishing 11th, while junior Kaitlyn Tallman was 13th with a time of 22:00. Sophomore Sarah Morrison finished in 22:40 for 29th place despite running with strep throat.

Villanova was running without the help of sophomore Amanda Marino, who finished ninth at the BIG EAST Championships, as she was resting a sore ankle.

"I was thrilled with how well we ran," said head coach Gina Procaccio. "Everyone stepped up and it showed with us finishing just eight points behind West Virginia and Princeton. I was really pleased and think we have an excellent shot at getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships."

Koons, Mimic, Hogan and Tallman were all named to the All-Mid-Atlantic Region team with their top 25 finishes.

The Wildcats will compete in the NCAA Championships held in Terre Haute, Ind., on Nov. 24.

Complete Mid-Atlantic Regional Results