Webster University ended its season on a high note with multiple season-best performances at the NCAA Division III women's cross country regional championships.
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The Gorloks placed 31st out of 41 teams at the meet conducted in meet conducted in Winneconne, WI. That finish is the third-best in school history behind a 24th place finish in 2011 and 25th place showing in 2010.
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Of the team's seven runners, five established season-best times while the other two came within four seconds of their season bests. Webster set season-best marks with an average time of 25 minutes and 32 seconds among its top five finishers, and a spread of three minutes and 36 seconds between its No. 1 and 5 runners.
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Valerie Martin (SO, St. Louis, MO / Webster Groves) finished 95th out of 281 runners with a time of 23:34 for the 6,000-meter course in freezing temperatures. That time is the fourth-fastest ever by a Gorlok in any 6k meet. Martin also owns the third-best 6k time in school history thanks to her 23:30 at the conference championships two weeks ago.
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Martin's time is the second fastest by a Webster runner in an NCAA championship meet. The record belongs to Candace Barry, who ran a 23:37 at the NCAA regionals in 2007.
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Martin ends her first season of collegiate cross country with a won-loss record of 781-156, good for an .834 win percentage.
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Holly Goergen (FR, Phoenix, AZ / Shadow Mountain) was 185th with a season-best time of 25:00. Her time is the ninth best in the Webster record books for an NCAA meet, and the second best by a freshman at such meet.
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Lauren Hoover (JR, Houston, MO / Houston) was 212th with a season-best time of 25:52. Her time is the 21st fastest all-time by a Gorlok at an NCAA championship.
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Meghan Illig (FR, St. Louis, MO / Lindbergh) was 220th at 26:06, missing her season-best time by one second. The latter was recorded at the conference championships two weeks ago. Illig's time today is 23rd best on Webster's all-time list for an NCAA meet.
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A trio of freshmen, all with season-best times, rounded out the team's seven-person lineup.
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Kelsey Robertson (FR, Independence, MO / Fort Osage) was 244th with a season-best time of 27:10. Danielle Stagner (FR, Rolla, MO / Rolla) was 263rd with a season-best time of 28:18. Michaela Halwachs (FR, Collinsville, IL / Collinsville) was 265th with a season-best time of 28:47.
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All seven of Webster's entrants today are eligible to return next season along with Shiloh Bradley (FR, Henderson, NV / Green Valley).
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