Rice University
Conference USA Championships
Owls Edged by UAB at C-USA Cross Country
10/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Oct. 28, 2006
Complete Results | Rice Women's Photo Gallery 
Greenville, N.C. -
Marissa Daniels raced to a second-place finish and Nicole Mericle was fourth to earn freshman of the year honors, but Rice fell one point short of UAB at the Conference USA women's cross country championships Saturday at Lake Kristi near Greenville, N.C. The Blazers scored 54 points for the team title, with the Owls second at 55.
Daniels, who was fifth last year, led much of the way before yielding to SMU's Rachel Forish, who won in 17:15. The Pearland, Texas, junior clocked 17:36 on the five-kilometer rain-soaked and windy course. Mericle was fourth in 18:14 to finish as the top freshman, and Lennie Waite was 10th in 18:32 to earn all-conference honors.
Susie Barrows ran a strong 18th in 18:54, with Britany Williams (21st in 19:03) rounding out the Owls' scorers. Callie Wells (22nd in 19:09), Laura Kelley (23rd in 19:11), Lea Garcia (30th in 19:27) and Claire Shorall (68th in 21:16) were Rice's other finishers.
"After our travel problems Thursday night, this was a pretty solid performance," said Rice head coach Jim Bevan. "We didn't arrive at our hotel until 4 am Friday morning due to weather delays, and I think that made our runners a little flat today. It is heartbreaking to lose by only one point, but UAB was really on today."
Players Mentioned
