Nov. 13, 1999

EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern women's cross country team closed out the 1999 campaign by finishing sixth out of 25 teams at the NCAA District 5 championships Saturday afternoon. The race was held in Champaign, Ill., and hosted by the University of Illinois.

The race was won by Kansas State University, who had four runners finish among the top five en route to 40 points and an easy victory. Missouri was second, with 60 points, while Nebraska also broke the 100-point barrier with 98. As the top two finishers in the District, Kansas State and Missouri qualified automatically for the NCAA national championship meet, which will take place one week from Monday at Indiana University.

The Wildcats recorded 227 points, finishing behind Minnesota but ahead of Iowa and Illinois.

Freshman Rachel Evjen was the top finisher for Northwestern, placing 25th overall in 18 minutes flat over the 5-kilometer course which allowed her to earn all-district honors. Freshman Karen Rogers was 41st in a time of 18:24, Jennifer Anderson was 49th in 18:31, Mary Beth Ellis was 56th in 18:35 and Shannon McGowan was 62nd in 18:39 to round out the team's scoring.

Amy Mortimer of Kansas State won the individual title in a time of 16:59, followed closely by teammate Korene Hinds. Hann Smedstad of Oklahoma State was a close third.

Top 10 Team Scores

1. Kansas State 40

2. Missouri 66

3. Nebraska 98

4. Minnesota 109

5. Iowa State 190

6. Northwestern 227

7. Iowa 245

8. Northern Iowa 264

9. Wichita State 266

10. Tulsa 276

Northwestern Finishers

25. Rachel Evjen, 18:00 (24 points)

41. Karen Rogers, 18:24 (40 points)

49. Jennifer Anderson, 18:31 (48 points)

56. Mary Beth Ellis, 18:35 (55 points)

62. Shannon McGowan, 18:39 (60 points)

67. Nicole Kuznia, 18:42 (65 points)

114. Maria Badaracco, 19:24 (110 points)