No respect.
That's what the women's cross country team got when they werelining up to run in the Mid-American Conference Championship andthey weren't even announced as contenders to win. Allowing that todrive them, they went out as underdogs and won the first women'scross country championship in school history.
Ball State had 73 points to finish just ahead of the defendingchampion Toledo, who had 78. The Cardinals were led by junior JillScully who finished second with a time of 17:32. She wasn't able toovercome Miami (Ohio) runner Andrea Kremer who won the race with atime of 17:16. Following Scully and also finishing in the top 15were senior Crystal Meeks in 10th with a time of 17:58 and juniorSarah Huddleston in 14th with a time of 18:06.
In the fourth and fifth team spots, freshman Rose Lehe andsophomore Nicole Hartford set personal records to finish 21st and26th respectively. Lehe's time of 18:15 was a 20 second improvementon her time of 18:35 at the Central Collegiate. Hartford's time of18:28 beat a previously set record of 18:57 at the Notre DameInvitational earlier this season. Freshman Amanda Ponsot who hadnever broken 19 minutes also set a personal record with her time of18:52 putting her in 42nd.
Other runners for the Cardinals were junior Aubrey Gaffer with atime of 19:10, senior Lindsay Keazer with a time of 19:22 andfreshman Lindsay Moldstad with a time of 20:29.
"I think everybody was kind of counting us out," head coach SueParks said. "We knew what we were capable of doing and we knew ifwe ran a great race that we would have a shot at it and that'sexactly what happened."
With about a quarter of a mile left in the race, Parks sawHartford was behind a pack of four or five runners, she yelled ather that Toledo's fifth runner was in that pack and Hartford puther head down and passed four of them. She ended up 26th whileToledo's runner ended up 30th.
"You never underestimate the power of teamwork, and that's whatwe had today," Parks said.
As runners began to walk away from the finish area after therace, some of them saw Ball State's name plate raised up to the topspot. From there it was mass hysteria. While screaming they ranover to Parks and embraced in a group hug, then they ran afterteammates who didn't know the news yet.
"It was amazing," Meeks said. "I think we ran our hearts out andit showed up there when we saw (the name plate raised)."
"I was talking with my dad and I was like 'what if? what if?'and then Crystal yelled in the background we did it and I ran upand gave her a hug," Scully said.
The team had received runner-up in the competition three yearsbefore and last year. They were tired of second and ready to provethemselves.
"We've been trying to win this championship for a lot of years,"Parks said. "Today we just wanted it more then everybody else."
"More then anything we wanted to do that for the seniors becausethey've got second the past time," Scully said.
The winning didn't end at the finish line for the Cardinals,though. In the awards ceremony Parks was named the MAC Coach of theYear, Scully was named to the first team All-MAC and Meeks wasnamed to the second team All-MAC.
"It's been a pleasure to coach this group," Parks said. "It'sthe true meaning of a team, they really work together well, theyreally like each other, it's like a family and they really want towin for each other and that's what brought us to where we weretoday."
"It feels like everything is finally coming together for us,"Scully said. "This year we've run so hard and we've worked so hardand our team is just phenomenal in my mind."
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