Women's
Cross Country Team Earns
All-Academic, Academic All-American Honors
Last fall the Penn State Behrend women's cross country team reached a new level of success on the course. Regionally ranked as the sixth best team for the entire season, Behrend finished just that, sixth, in the regional meet at Dickinson College. The team's performance was the best in school history, bettering its sixteenth place finish in 2001.
The outstanding athletic achievement of the team has carried over to the classroom as well. The Behrend Lions have been named to the NCAA All-Academic Team, a distinction awarded to teams whose members carry a cumulative GPA of 3.1 or better. Team members include Jessica Knapp (Erie/McDowell), Brandi Napenas (Connellsville/Geibel Catholic), Bethany Crooks (Apollo/Kiski), Claire Manelick (Youngsville/Youngsville), Jessica Sarver (Freeport/Freeport), Leslie Gentile (Corry/Corry), Willa Paterson (Woodward/Penns Valley), and Holly Weinheimer (North East/North East).
Three members of the team were also given individual NCAA Academic All-American honors. Knapp, Sarver, and Paterson each carry at least at 3.5 cumulative GPA and finished in the top 25% at the regional meet. At the meet Knapp finished fifteenth, Sarver came across in fifty-second place, and Paterson finished sixtieth in the field of 264 runners.
Coach Dave Cooper's team will look to improve
even further next season. All three Academic All-Americans, and all
five of the team's top runners look to return next year.
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