University of Tennessee Athletics
Bowman Fifth At PSU National Invite
October 12, 2007 | Women's Cross Country
Complete Results
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- University of Tennessee junior Sarah Bowman produced her third top-five performance of the season Friday morning, leading the Lady Vol cross country team to an eighth-place finish out of 25 teams at the Penn State National Invitational.Bowman, who hails from Warrenton, Va., placed fifth out of 278 runners with a time of 21 minutes, seven seconds. That mark was more than a minute better than her readout on the 6,000-meter PSU Blue and White Golf Courses two years ago. It marked the fourth time in as many races this season and the eighth occasion in her career she has led UT to the finish line.
Running on a brisk 45-degree morning with winds out of the northwest gusting up to 21 miles per hour, Bowman and her teammates tallied 198 points to card an eighth-place result for the second straight week. No. 21 West Virginia, led by individual winner Marie-Louise Asselin (20:46), grabbed the team trophy with 86 points, followed by No. 30 Penn State (110), Kentucky (127), Syracuse (128), Wake Forest (173), No. 17 Duke (185), Cornell (192) and UT. Canada???s University of Guelph was ninth at 204, while Villanova rounded out the top 10 at 237.
Sophomore Jackie Areson (Delray Beach, Fla.) and junior Katie Van Horn (Glendora, N.J.) joined forces with Bowman to give Tennessee a very solid top three. Areson posted her highest placement on the team this season, running second for the Big Orange and crossing the line 13th overall in 21:31. Van Horn wasn???t far behind, hitting the finish chute five seconds later in 21:36 to wind up 17th.
The Lady Vols??? fourth and fifth scorers, though, were well behind the lead trio, and both had to deal with footwear issues along the way. Freshman Brittany Sheffey (Bellport, N.Y.), who lost her electronic timing chip when her shoe came untied, reported in 61st at 22:23 to score for UT in her fourth straight meet. Junior Rolanda Bell (Laurelton, N.Y.), meanwhile, had a shoe come off during the race. She wound up 118th in 23:21, scoring for the third time in four meets this season. Sophomore Phoebe Wright (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) was UT???s only other competitor, and she finished 120th in 23:23.
???Sarah did a good job today and was tough,??? UT Head Coach J.J. Clark said. ???Jackie and Katie were in the mix as well. We have three young ladies running with good form right now.
???Each meet has been a step forward for us. With the conference and regional meets approaching, though, we have to really pick it up at the four, five and six positions. We only have two weeks to do it.???
Speaking of that impending deadline, the Lady Vols will be in Lexington, Ky., on Oct. 27 for their next competition, which is the Southeastern Conference Championships. The 6,000-meter race will be held at 11 a.m. Eastern Time at the Kentucky Horse Park. Tennessee has won three of the past four team trophies at the conference meet.
UT FINISHERS (OUT OF 279 RUNNERS): 5. Sarah Bowman, 21:07; 13. Jackie Areson, 21:31; 17. Katie Van Horn, 21:36; 61. Brittany Sheffey, 22:23; 118. Rolanda Bell, 23:21; 120. Phoebe Wright, 23:23.
TOP-10 TEAM FINISHERS (OUT OF 25 TEAMS): 1. West Virginia 86, 2. Penn State 110, 3. Kentucky 127, 4. Syracuse 128, 5. Wake Forest 173, 6. Duke 185, 7. Cornell 192, 8. Tennessee 198, 9. Guelph 204, 10. Villanova 237.
