Results

HANOVER, Ind. - Marie Borner (Jr., Cottage Grove, Minn.) is in a league of her own. In addition to being the defending national champion in the indoor mile run, she is now the 2008 NCAA national champion in women's cross country, making her Bethel's first national champion in two different sports.

Borner finished the 6k race with a time of 20:43.91, which was more than nine seconds ahead of her nearest competitor and more than a minute faster than her performance at the national meet a year ago in Northfield, Minn.

As a team, the Royals finished 19th out of 32 teams in their first ever trip to the national meet. Alex Potter (So., Windom, Minn.) was Bethel's next highest finisher, placing 89th overall and 58th in the team competition with a time of 22:22.50. Heather Jelen (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) finished third with a time of 22:31.26, which was good for 103rd place overall and 65th in team competition, while Kristin Mork (So., Cambridge, Minn.) and Janelle Crary (So., Grand Forks, N.D.) rounded out Bethel's top five finishers with times of 22:50.85 and 23:52.40, respectively.

The national meet draws Bethel's season to a close. The Royals spent more than half the season ranked nationally in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll, peaking at #13 just two weeks ago. They finish the season ranked #22 nationally and third in the Central region behind Wartburg and St. Thomas.