Results

GRINNELL, Iowa - Marie Borner (Jr., Cottage Grove, Minn.) will advance to the NCAA National Championship meet for the second year in a row thanks to her first place finish at the regional meet today, hosted by Grinnell College.

Borner improved on her third place finish in the same race a year ago, trimming more than 20 seconds off her pace for the 6k race. Her time of 21:28.1 was 34 seconds better than her nearest competitor, Anna Kraayenbrink of Wartburg College.

The Royals, who are ranked #13 nationally in the latest United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll,  finished fourth overall and will have to wait until tomorrow to find out if they have earned an at-large bid to compete in the national championship meet as a team.

Heather Jelen (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) placed 27th overall with a time of 23:25.7 as Bethel's next best finisher, followed by Alex Potter (So., Windom, Minn.) at 23:31.7 for 29th place, and Kristin Mork (So., Cambridge, Minn.) at 23:41.2 for 35th place. Janelle Crary (Jr., Grand Forks, N.D.) rounded out Bethel's top five runners with a time of 24:39.1.

The NCAA National Championship meet is scheduled to take place next Saturday at noon, and will be hosted by Hanover College in Hanover, Ind.