Sept. 29, 2006

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Junior Jennie Stoll (Pewaukee, Wis.) was the top Miami finisher in 23rd place and the Miami University women's cross country team had two other runners finish in the meet's top 40 as the RedHawks placed eighth in a 24-team field at Friday's Notre Dame Invitational. Miami tallied 192 team points, finishing ahead of 16 teams including local rival Cincinnati and Mid-American Conference foe Northern Illinois.

Finishing as the top Miamian for the second time this season, Stoll clocked in with a team-best time of 18:44 at the 5K Notre Dame Golf Course. It was the ninth time in the past 10 races that Stoll has been the top Miami finisher, dating back to last season's Miami Invitational.

Also placing in the meet's top 40 were junior Mia Fiegelist (Hilliard, Ohio) and freshman Kelsey McHugh (Columbus, Ohio), as they finished 33rd and 38th, respectively. Fiegelist clocked in with a time of 18:50, while McHugh was just three seconds off her pace at 18:53. For McHugh, it was the third straight race she placed in Miami's scoring five after never competing in a cross country race prior to the season-opening Flyer 5K Challenge (Sept. 2).

Rounding out Miami's scoring five were sophomore Erin McGowan (Perrysburg, Ohio) and junior Sarah Henize (Bucyrus, Ohio) in 50th and 53rd place, respectively. McGowan crossed the finish line in 19:04, with Henize just two seconds behind her at 19:06. The scoring finish was McGowan's second of the season after placing fifth on the team at the Miami Invitational (Sept. 9).

Miami's top four runners all turned in season-best 5K times at Notre Dame, with Henize narrowly missing a season-best mark. Stoll took three seconds off her season-best time, with Fiegelist and McHugh shaving 10 and 18 seconds off their fastest 2006 times, respectively. McGowan also knocked 17 seconds off her season-best clocking.

Continuing a stretch of three races in three consecutive weeks, Miami travels to the All-Ohio Championship Oct. 6 in Delaware, Ohio. Race time is slated for 2:45 p.m.

MEET NOTES: JR Jennie Stoll has now finished as the top Miamian in two of the RedHawks' three races this season and in nine of the past 10 races dating back to the 2005 Miami Invitational ... Miami's scoring five was exactly the same as it was at the Miami Invitational, Miami's last race prior to the Notre Dame Invitational ... JR Mia Fiegelist posted her highest team finish of the season in second place.