Bridget Dahlberg and Eva Krchova compare race notes after the duo finished seventh and eighth at the Notre Dame Invitational
Dons Earn First Top 10 Ranking in Program History
10/8/2013 8:33:00 AM | Cross Country
The San Francisco women's cross country team leaped 14 spots in the USTFCCCA poll to land in the top 10 for the first time in school history, announced today.
USF earned 224 points in the poll, narrowly edging West Region competitor Stanford by one point to nab its top-10 ranking. The competitive region can boast four of this week's top 10, with Arizona in third, followed by fourth-place Washington and defending champion Oregon in sixth. Along with the step up in the national rankings, the Dons moved up one spot to fourth in the regional rankings.
"It is nice to be recognized as one of the top teams in the country, and we will use this as further motivation to be the best we can be this season," head coach Helen Lehman-Winters said. "Our women will continue to focus on staying healthy and working hard together."
The Dons, whose previous best ranking was No. 18, earned in week three of the 2012 season, made the jump after a smashing success as the squad's top runners hit the course for the first time in 2013.
At the Notre Dame Invitational, USF finished third in the team standings, paced by two individual top 10s. Graduate student and new Don Bridget Dahlberg finished the race in seventh, followed closely behind by senior and defending West Coast Conference individual medalist Eva Krchova.
The Dons have been on the rise to national prominence and recognition since the middle of 2010. USF has been ranked in the polls each of the last four seasons, with its first time in the listings coming in Week 6 of the 2010 season, a 26th-place nod. Since then, the Dons have been ranked or receiving votes in 30 of a possible 35 polls.
Along with their national success, USF has raced to four-straight WCC titles as they "Drive for Five" in 2013.
"The NCAA Championships are still seven weeks down the road," Lehman-Winters noted. "The women understand and have learned from experience that we need to take it one race at a time and stay in the moment."
Up ahead for the 10th-ranked Dons is a trip to the Adidas Wisconsin Invitational in Madison, Wisc., Oct. 19. USF will then prepare for the postseason, starting with the WCC Championships, which will be contested Nov. 2, in Malibu, Calif.
Complete release
USF earned 224 points in the poll, narrowly edging West Region competitor Stanford by one point to nab its top-10 ranking. The competitive region can boast four of this week's top 10, with Arizona in third, followed by fourth-place Washington and defending champion Oregon in sixth. Along with the step up in the national rankings, the Dons moved up one spot to fourth in the regional rankings.
"It is nice to be recognized as one of the top teams in the country, and we will use this as further motivation to be the best we can be this season," head coach Helen Lehman-Winters said. "Our women will continue to focus on staying healthy and working hard together."
The Dons, whose previous best ranking was No. 18, earned in week three of the 2012 season, made the jump after a smashing success as the squad's top runners hit the course for the first time in 2013.
At the Notre Dame Invitational, USF finished third in the team standings, paced by two individual top 10s. Graduate student and new Don Bridget Dahlberg finished the race in seventh, followed closely behind by senior and defending West Coast Conference individual medalist Eva Krchova.
The Dons have been on the rise to national prominence and recognition since the middle of 2010. USF has been ranked in the polls each of the last four seasons, with its first time in the listings coming in Week 6 of the 2010 season, a 26th-place nod. Since then, the Dons have been ranked or receiving votes in 30 of a possible 35 polls.
Along with their national success, USF has raced to four-straight WCC titles as they "Drive for Five" in 2013.
"The NCAA Championships are still seven weeks down the road," Lehman-Winters noted. "The women understand and have learned from experience that we need to take it one race at a time and stay in the moment."
Up ahead for the 10th-ranked Dons is a trip to the Adidas Wisconsin Invitational in Madison, Wisc., Oct. 19. USF will then prepare for the postseason, starting with the WCC Championships, which will be contested Nov. 2, in Malibu, Calif.
Complete release
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