Vaughn Concludes Rookie Season at the NCAA Cross Country Championships
11/24/2008 12:00:00 AM
Nov. 24, 2008
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Sara Vaughn represented the Crimson Tide well today at the NCAA Cross Country Championships hosted by Indiana State University on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course.
The women were the first race of the day after a morning of rain showers, but fortunately the dark clouds had moved on by race time. Temperatures hovered in the high 30s with winds up to 20 mph.
As the first female Alabama athlete to qualify for the NCAA Championships since 2006, Vaughn toed the line one last time this season turning in a time of 21:30.50 and finished in 139th place.
"I know we were definitely trying for a higher place finish but she ran a solid race," cross country coach Randy Hasenbank said. "It was not her best race but she went out and competed. She may have been a little too aggressive in the beginning but I think, as I told her after the race, it's better to be overly aggressive instead of overly passive. This is a good experience that will help her in the future."
Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech continued to successfully defend her individual title by winning for the third consecutive year. Kipyego dominated as she led from start to finish on the 6,000 meter course finishing in a swift 19:28.10.
In team scoring, Washington won the 2008 title with 79 points. Oregon finished in second place tallying 131 points. Florida State (163), West Virginia (198) and Princeton (220) rounded out the top five teams, respectively. 31 teams competed today at the championships. Alabama's team did not qualify for the meet.
Vaughn and the Crimson Tide will start their indoor season on Jan. 9 when they travel to Clemson, S.C. for the Clemson Invitational.
