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LANCASTER, PA - The Franklin & Marshall College women's cross country team has been selected to finish sixth in the Centennial Conference (CC) title race according to a poll of the CC head coaches. Defending Centennial Conference champion Dickinson earned seven out of a possible 10 first-place votes for 79 points to edge out Haverford, which garnered two first-place votes and 73 points, for the top spot in the poll. Third place went to Swarthmore, which totaled 58 points and one first place vote. Muhlenberg was fourth with 56 votes, while Johns Hopkins was selected to finish fifth with 44 points. Rounding out the women's poll were Franklin & Marshall (42), Gettysburg (41), Bryn Mawr (21), Ursinus (20) and McDaniel (16). The ranking marks a two place improvement for the Diplomats as Franklin & Marshall was picked eighth in the 2004 poll and concluded the year with a sixth place finish at the Centennial Conference Championship meet at McDaniel. Leading the team's title hopes this year will be All-Region selections Karen Ziga (Jr., Haverford, PA/Haverford) and Meredith Janeczek (Jr., Hershey, PA/Hershey). A 2003 All-Region freshman second team honoree 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 Region Championships, Ziga placed 13th (24:47) at the Centennial Conference Championships and 40th (24:02) at the NCAA Mid-East Region meet last year. The team’s #1 runner for much of the season and the 2004 Franklin & Marshall Women’s Cross Country Most Valuable Runner, Janeczek earned All-Region honors last year as she crossed the finish line in 23:35 to place 25th as the Franklin & Marshall College women’s cross country team finished 11th of 43 teams at the NCAA Mid-East Region Championships. At the 2004 Centennial Conference Championship race hosted by McDaniel, she crossed the finish line in 23:39 over the six-kilometer course to earn All-Centennial Conference honors and lead the Diplomats to a sixth place finish. The finish marked the sixth best finish by an F&M team since the inaugural CC championship race in 1993 and snapped a four year streak of ninth place finishes by F&M (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003) as the Diplomats have finished third (1999), fifth (1993, 1995, 1996, 1998), sixth (1994, 1997, 2004) and ninth since the Conference’s first championship race. Historically, she became the first All-Centennial Conference selection for F&M in cross country since the 1999 championship race. Further, her finish marked the highest by a Franklin & Marshall women’s harrier since Jamie Kendig won the 1994 individual championship. At the Goucher College Invitational, Janeczek finished first in 19:54.45 as the Franklin & Marshall College women's cross country team totaled 30 points to win the invitational. The meet was historical for the Diplomats as it marked the first invitational win by a Franklin & Marshall College women's cross country team since 1993 when F&M won the Salisbury University Tidewater Invitational on October 16 and the Little Three Championships (F&M 27, Gettysburg 30/ F&M 25, Dickinson 30) on November 3. Individually, Janeczek's victory marked her second of the season as crossed the finish line in 24:05 over the six-kilometer course at the McDaniel Invitational to finish first. Her pair of victories marked the first time an F&M women's cross country runner finished first in two invitationals in the same season since Jamie Kendig '96 accomplished the feat at the Davis & Elkins (21:17) and Dickinson (18:45) Invitationals during the 1994 season. Franklin & Marshall will open the 2005 season on September 2 at the Salisbury University Invitational. 2005 Centennial Conference Women's Cross Country Poll (First Place Votes)
1. Dickinson (7) 79
2. Haverford (2) 73
3. Swarthmore (1) 58
4. Muhlenberg 56
5. Johns Hopkins 44
6. Franklin & Marshall 42
7. Gettysburg 41
8. Bryn Mawr 21
9. Ursinus 20
10. McDaniel 16
Head coaches polled
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