(Northfield, Minn. – Saturday, November 23, 2002) – Sophomore Nichole Petersen finished 43rd and junior Jen Skalko placed 105th (out of 215 runners) at the NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country Championships held at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Williams College won the team title, while Missy Buttry of Wartburg College won the individual title.
Petersen, an Arco, Minnesota native (Marshall High School), finished the 6,000 kilometer course in a time of 22:39.4 seconds which was two minutes and 22 seconds behind national champion Missy Buttry. Petersen was the second highest finisher from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference behind Megan Daymont of St. Olaf who finished 12th. This is the second consecutive year that Petersen has competed in the NCAA Division III national meet. Last year, Petersen finished 68th with a time of 18:20 on a 5,000 kilometer course.
Skalko, an Eveleth, Minnesota native (Eveleth-Gilbert High School), finished with a time of 23:31.3. This was Skalko’s first appearance at the NCAA Division III Championships.
The Gustavus women’s cross country team finished its season with a fourth place finish at the MIAC Championships and a fifth place finish at the NCAA Central Region meet.