WARD TOP FINISHER IN ECAC WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY MEET

Saturday, November 18

New York, N.Y.

10:30 a.m.

James Madison University

ECAC Championships

11/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country

NEW YORK, N.Y., Nov. 18, 2006 -- Sophomore Christy Ward (Midlothian, Va./James River) was James Madison's top finisher and the Dukes placed 10th as a team at Saturday's Eastern College Athletic Conference Women's Cross Country Championships hosted by Fordham at Van Cortlandt Park.

Ward completed the 5,000-meter race in 18 minutes, 53.3 seconds to finish 35th among 108 runners.

The race was won by Princeton's Reilly Kiernan in a time of 17:56.9.

Other top JMU finishers included junior Michelle Beardmore (Front Royal, Va./Warren County), 39th in 18:59.5; freshman Holly Fredericksen (Yorktown, Va./Tabb), 59th in 19:30.5; senior Elaina Orphanides (Potomac Falls, Va./Potomac Falls), 65th in 19:37.5; and sophomore Aspen Foster (Virginia Beach, Va./Frank W. Cox), 68th in 19:43.0.

Other JMU competitors included freshman Emily Hellmuth (Arlington, Va./Yorktown), 81st in 20:02.8; freshman Erin Bender (Winchester, Va./Handley), 82nd in 20:03.5; sophomore Caitlin O'Malley (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee), 87th in 20:14.3; senior Jennifer Chapman (Centreville, Va./Westfield), 88th in 20:22.0; junior Kelly Payne (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee), 89th in 20:24.2; freshman Brittany Lussier (Stafford, Va./North Stafford), 94th in 20:31.8; and freshman Amber Lussier (Stafford, Va./North Stafford), 96th in 20:47.7.

Cornell edged William and Mary for the team title, finishing with 57 points while W&M compiled 61 points. Villanova was third with 61.