Ziga Earns All-Region Freshman Honors as Women's Cross Country Places 18th at NCAA Mid-East Regional

by Sports Information
11/15/03

CARLISLE, PA - Karen Ziga (Fr., Haverford, PA/Haverford) earned All-Region Freshman second team honors by placing 62nd in a time of 24:58 to lead the Franklin & Marshall College women's cross country team to an 18th place finish at the 2003 NCAA Mid-East Regional Championships hosted by Dickinson College.

The 11th freshman to cross the finish line in the 264 person field, the honor marks the first for a Franklin & Marshall College freshman runner since Ariane Smith finished 13th overall to gain the fifth "at-large" bid to the 1996 NCAA Division III championship race at Augustana College.

In addition, the All-Region honor marks the first for any Franklin & Marshall College women's cross country runner since Erin Carlson '01, Stephanie Stroud '00 and Lorin Lafemina '00 earned All-Region honors at the 1999 Regional Championships.

Overall, three Diplomats broke the 26 minute mark and finished among the top 100 runners as Yanira Figueroa (Sr., Mount Vernon, NY/Tuckahoe), 25:34, and Amy Toporowski (Jr., Montgomery, MA/Williston Northampton), 25:47, finished 90th and 99th, respectively.

Meredith Janeczek (Fr., Hershey, PA/Hershey), 118th in 26:08, Megan Feehan (So., West Chester, PA/Henderson), 157th in 27:05, Rebecca Dempsey-Altman (Lancaster, PA), 169th in 27:30, and Margaret Laufman (Fr., Pittsburgh, PA/Oakland Catholic), 201st in 28:43, rounded out the Diplomats' varsity seven which finished in a combined time of 2:09.31and defeated Salisbury, Marywood, McDaniel, Grove City, Misericordia, Frostburg, Bryn Mawr, Bethany, Widener, Albright, Penn State Altoona, Westminster, Hood, Waynesburg, Delaware Valley, Goucher, Ursinus, Cedar Crest, Lincoln and Thiel.

Overall, the host Red Devils dominated the six kilometer meet as Callie Bradley won the individual title in 22:17 and Dickinson captured the team crown with 68 points, 11 better than runner-up Allegheny's 79 points.

Franklin & Marshall Finishers
62. Karen Ziga 24:58
90. Yanira Figueroa 25:34
99. Amy Toporowski 25:47
118. Meredith Janeczek 26:08
157. Megan Feehan 27:05
169. Rebecca Dempsey-Altman 27:30
201. Margaret Laufman 28:43

2003 Mid-East Championships
1. Dickinson 68; 2. Allegheny 79; 3. Haverford 115; 4. Messiah 165; 5. Gettysburg 177; 6. Penn State Behrend 253; 7. DeSales 257; 8. Elizabethtown 294; 9. Moravian 331; 10. Scranton 357; 11. Carnegie Mellon 365; 12. Johns Hopkins 365; 13. Muhlenberg 367; 14. Juniata 435; 15. Swarthmore 452; 16. Susquehanna 456; 17. Lebanon Valley 486; 18. Franklin & Marshall 526; 19. Salisbury 531; 20. Marywood 536; 21. McDaniel 539; 22. Grove City 577; 23. Misericordia 627; 24. Frostburg 630; 25. Bryn Mawr 700; 26. Bethany 732; 27. Widener 747; 28. Albright 819; 29. Penn State Altoona 833; 30. Westminster 921; 31. Hood 922; 32. Waynesburg 931; 33. Delaware Valley 932; 34. Goucher 948; 35. Ursinus 979; 36. Cedar Crest 1027; 37. Lincoln 1034; 38. Thiel 1055