The University of Mary Washington women's cross country team proved to be one of the top squads in the South region, winning three events and placing among the top teams at the NCAA Regional in November. Seniors Ann Tripp and Cristy Falcone advanced to the NCAA Championships, as the Eagles won their 13th Capital Athletic Conference championship.

 

The Eagles opened the year with a first place finish at the Virginia Wesleyan College Invitational, with six runners finishing in the top 10. The following week, the Eagles took first place among 22 schools at the prestigious New York University Invitational in Van Courtland Park, with Tripp finishing third overall and Falcone placing sixth.

 

Falcone would finish ninth overall at the Paul Short Invitational hosted by Lehigh University, and the Eagles would place fourth among 28 schools at Dickinson College the following week. UMW would get a look at the NCAA Regional course the following week, as the Eagles competed at the William & Mary Invitational in Williamsburg, Va. The Eagles, competing against NCAA Division I, II, and III schools, finished fourth of 11 teams, with Tripp gaining a top-20 finish in 19th place at

23:30. Tripp, a model of consistency all season for UMW, finished in the top 20 in every race of the season to gain an invitation to the NCAA Championships for the second straight year.

 

After a tune-up race at Elizabethtown, the Eagles captured the Capital Athletic Conference championship for the first time since 2003 with a dominating performance at the conference meet, held in York, Pa. Falcone finished first overall to claim Runner of the Year honors, and Tripp finished second, with Hayley Sullivan, Erin Grogan, Kristy Witek, and Erin McCarthy gaining all-conference honors with top-15 finishes.

 

The Eagles just missed out on sending the team to the NCAA National Championships, as they finished fourth at the NCAA regional. Falcone finished second overall, with Tripp placing eighth to gain invitations to the national championship meet. Falcone just missed All-America honors, placing 40th overall with a time of 22:23, while Tripp crossed the finish line at 23:40, closing the very successful careers of both runners.