Griffins run well at SLIAC Championship

St. Louis, Mo. - The Fontbonne University and Webster University cross country teams got to host the 2014 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Championships on a brisk Saturday morning in Forest Park. The site was home to the 2012 and 2013 U.S. Cross Country Championships. Fifty-four women participated in the race.

For the women, junior Olivia Beggs finished eighth with a 24:31 6k, 53 seconds faster than her 6k earlier this year. The eighth place finish qualified Beggs for Second Team SLIAC All-Conference honors. Last year, Beggs finished 11th in the SLIAC Championship. Junior Claire Becker was the next Griffin to cross the finish line, this time in 21st place. The race was Becker's first 6k of the year. Becker was named to the 2014 SLIAC women's All-Sportsmanship team.

Freshman Cathy Maschmeyer ran a 27 minute race to put her in 30th place. Fellow Freshman Bethany Ottens finished 45th. Ottens ran 62 seconds faster than her previous 6k. Sophomore Jennie Stare ran a solid two minutes faster during her Championship race than at the Rhodes Invitational. Stare finished 43rd, finishing with a time of 29:18. Freshman Grace Poindexter rounded out the Griffins' team score, crossing the finish line in 47th place. Poindexter's 29:58 run was a 2:49 personal best.

Sara Litwiller of Principia was the conference champion with a 22:56 time. Greenville College placed first as a team.

The Griffins head to Winnecone, Wis. on November 15th to race in the NCAA Midwest Regionals.