Bethlehem, Pa.-- The Penn State women's cross country team made a run at an NCAA championship berth and had one individual qualify for the NCAA championships in a productive day Saturday at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals at the Goodman Campus of Lehigh University.

Michelle Wale (Fr., Pine Bush, N.Y.) finished 9th overall with a time of 21:15.95 to punch her ticket to the NCAA championships on November 19 at Furman University. The rest of Penn State's core runners also turned in solid performances. Maureen Thomas (So., Bethlehem, Pa.) finished 22nd with a time of 21:43.69, while senior Kris Phillips (Niskayuna, N.Y) took 29th in a time of 21:57.99. Molly Landreth (Fr., Newburyport, Mass.) was right on her teammate's heels finishing 31st with a time of 22:01.21. Senior leader Kim DeNovellis rounded out Penn State's scoring, finishing 45th in a time of 22:23.06. Also running strong for Penn State was Beth Sharkey (So., Hazleton, Pa.) who finished 59th, crossing the line in 22:36.11.

Perennial powers Georgetown and Villanova took the top two spots in the team competition to clinch team births in the NCAA championships. Georgetown dominated the field with a score of 22, while the Wildcats finished a solid second with 69 points. Bucknell took the third spot, scoring 129 points. LaSalle's 135 points just barely beat out a hungry Lion squad for fourth place. Penn State finished the day with 136 points.

The season is now over for the Penn State women's cross country team, but watch for Michelle Wale in individual action at the NCAA Cross Country Championship Monday, November 19 from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina.