Issued: December 9, 2002

WOMEN RUNNERS AWARDED AT CROSS COUNTRY BANQUET

EAU CLAIRE - The UW-Eau Claire women's cross country team held its end of the season banquet Sunday where award and letter winners were presented for the 2002 season.

The women Blugolds ended the season finishing better than 93 teams and behind 32 teams in the eight events they competed in where team scores were calculated. The season was highlighted by the Midwest Long and Short Course event which the Blugolds hosted in Colfax. The women runners finished in first place out of 16 teams in the event, which included three other Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schools.

Jane Ovanin (So-Amherst) was awarded the 2002 season Most Valuable Player award. Ovanin finished first on the Blugold team in all eight events she participated in, highlighted by a second place overall finish at the WIAC Championships.

Rachel Anderson (Fr-St. Paul, MN) gained recognition as Rookie of the Year for the Blugolds as she finished fifth or better on the Blugold team in six of the seven events she participated in. Anderson finished third for the Blugolds in the WIAC Championships with a time of 25:01.

Missy Paulson (So-Birnamwood/Whittenberg-Birn) won honors as Most Improved runner at the banquet as she finished second on the Blugold team in all but one event on the season. Sarah Kasabian (Jr-East Peoria, IL) won the Most Dedicated award for Eau Claire while Heather Lipinski (So-Thorp) won the Golden Shoe Award.

Kasabian and Lipinski were also announced as captains for the 2003 team as well as Heidi Hancock (So-Greendale).

At the banquet Sunday night, head coach of the Blugolds, Tracy Yengo, also announced the long list of 2002 season letter winners. Of the 35 Blugolds to letter this season, only 12 had previously lettered in the sport.

All players winning awards at the banquet were honored with letters. Other letter winners included Casie Anderson (Fr-Onalaska), Betsy Coy (Fr-St. Paul, MN/Harding), Aimee Fornes (Fr-Mackinaw City, MI), Alicia Fredricks (Fr-Sheboygan/North), Krista Fredrikson (So-Two Rivers/Washington), Ashley Fromader (Fr-Platteville), Cassie Haak (Fr-Shoreview, MN/Mounds View), Katie Hansel (Fr-Stevens Point/Pacelli), LeAnn Hayes (Fr-Prescott), Amanda Jaworski (Fr-Oshkosh/West), Jennifer Johnson (Fr-La Crosse/Central), Nikki Johnson (Jr-St. Cloud, MN/Cathedral), Amanda Kerbaugh (Fr-Onalaska), Kristy Lodermeier (So-Red Wing, MN), Jenny Michna (Fr-Park Falls), Abby Nelson (So-Cumberland), Shannon Parrish (So-Sun Prairie), Dawn Scheff (So-Cumberland), Jenny Schuh (Fr-Kaukauna), Kristin Seeger (Fr-Germantown (Wisconsin Lutheran), Kendall Smith (Fr-Superior), Kasey Stanek (Fr-La Crosse/Central), Amy Turner (So-Robbinsdale, MN/Cooper), Jeanine Twomey (Fr-Blaine, MN/Spring Lake Park), Krista Ussery (Fr-Tomohawk), Brittany Veale (Fr-Fort Atkinson/Lakeside Lutheran), Jenny Warmke (Fr-Black River Falls), Melissa Wright (Jr-Appleton/Kimberly), and Nicole Zeug (So-Shell Lake).

The 12 letter winners who had previously lettered were Coy (fourth), Fredrikson (second), Hancock (second), Nikki Johnson (third), Kasabian (second), Lipinski (second), Ovanin (second), Parrish (second), Paulson (second), Turner (second), Wright (third), and Zeug (second).