EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Junior
Christie Turak became the first USTFCCCA All-American in the history of the Mercyhurst College cross country program Saturday afternoon, as the Erie, Pa., native finished 29th overall at the 2009 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships in Evansville, Ind.
The top-40 finishers qualified for All-America honors by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, a non-profit professional organization that represents over 8,000 track and field and cross country coaches in the United States.
Turak conquered the 6K-course in 21:46, marking her second fastest time of the season for a course of that size.
Her time was also the third best by a runner representing the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The only two PSAC runners to finish in front of her were Jennifer Harpp of Slippery Rock in 11th and Mary Dell of Shippensburg in 21st. PSAC champion Neeley Spence finished 43rd overall.
Seattle Pacific's Jessica Pixler made NCAA Division II history as she became the first female runner to win three consecutive NCAA Championships with her first-place time of 20:22. Western Washington junior Sarah Porter took second (20:30.1) while Missouri Southern’s Ashley Siler (20:43.6) and Kimi Shank (20:44.5) placed third and fourth, respectively.
Turak concluded her 2009 campaign with several highlights, including five individual titles, being named All-PSAC for a second-straight year, and becoming the first Mercyhurst runner to compete in an NCAA Championship.