Nov. 25, 2002

The Wake Forest women's cross country team finished ninth out of 31 teams at the 2002 NCAA Championships on Monday in Terre Haute, IN. Anne Bersagel led the Demon Deacons with a time of 20:23.4 for 25th place. Mike Altieri, the lone qualifier from the men's cross country team, finished 68th overall.

Led by Bersagel, the Deacs had five runners place in the top-115. Senior Risa Rutland completed the course with a time of 20:58.6 for 46th place, junior Anna Sherman at 53rd with a time of 21:01.9, freshman Erin Franklin placed 96th with a time of 21:26.1, Danielle Coon finished 115th in 21:35.3, Jill Miller landed at 182nd in 22:13.9 and Nikeya Green placed 184th with a time of 22:17.2.

The Demon Deacons, ranked fourth in the final coaches poll, completed the race with 328 points and an average time of 21:05.1. Wake Forest was the top-finisher from the Atlantic Coast Conference, with NC State finishing 13th, Duke at 17th, Virginia placing 20th and North Carolina landing 21st. It was the sixth overall appearance for the Deacs in the NCAA Championships, with this season's ninth-place finish ranking the highest since the program was established in 1978.

BYU won the women's NCAA championships, with North Carolina's Shalane Flanagan capturing the individual title. Stanford grabbed the men's championships, while Jorge Torres from Colorado was the individual champion. Complete results from the NCAA Cross Country Championships are available at indstate.edu/athletics.

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