Tulane Tops LSWA Women's Cross Country Team
Dec 21, 2007 | Cross Country & Track
Dec. 21, 2007
NEW ORLEANS - Tulane University Cross Country head coach Heather Van Norman claimed Louisiana Cross Country Coach of the Year and senior runner Aubrey Phillips claimed runner of the Year as the Green Wave claimed three top individual awards and placed three runners on the 2007 Louisiana Sports Writers Association's All-Louisiana Cross Country team, the LSWA announced this week.
Freshman runner Laurie Dalrymple also claimed Louisiana Freshman of the Year honors for the Green Wave, and fellow freshman Rebecca Coady also made the all-Louisiana team.
"This is very exciting for Tulane cross country," Van Norman said. "It says a lot about our program, and the things we've been doing to succeed - recruiting, training, and coaching. It shows that a lot of the work we have done is coming to fruition."
Van Norman coached the Green Wave to team victories in the first three meets of the season - the Green Wave Invitational, Southern Miss Invitational and LSU Tiger Cross Country Festival - and a fifth place finish at the Auburn Tiger Invitational, defeating nearly every school in the state of Louisiana in the process. Tulane swept the top finishers, scoring a perfect 15 points in the Green Wave Invite, and nearly matched the effort a week later at Southern Miss, as the team scored 16 points on their way to victory. Van Norman also led her team to a 16th place finish at its first appearance in the Chile Pepper Festival, and to a sixth place finish at the C-USA Championship. The Green Wave found its way into the South Central Region rankings for the first time in recent memory in 2007, reaching seventh at the highest point during the season. Tulane fielded a full squad for the first time at the NCAA South Central Championship, and the Wave notched its first ever top-10 finish (ninth) at the regional meet.
Phillips was Tulane's best runner in 2007, placing in the top-3 individually three times and winning one of those - the Southern Miss Invitational. She also placed in top-30 in three other meets, including the Conference USA Championship and the NCAA South Central Region Championship. She set personal best times in the both the 5K (17:24.05 - Auburn Tiger Invitational) and the 6K (21:49.25 - LSU Tiger Cross Country Festival). She led her team to three straight team victories to open the 2007 season, mostly against Louisiana opponents at the Green Wave Invitational, the Southern Miss Invite and the LSU Tiger Cross Country Festival.
Tulane's most consistent runner in 2007, Dalrymple placed among the top-3 runners on her team in every meet this season. She ran first on her team and 15th overall at the C-USA Championship, garnering third team All C-USA honors in her first collegiate season. She placed in the top-15 individual finishers in four of the seven team meets. Dalrymple set personal best times in both the 5K (17:36.55 - Auburn Tiger Invitational) and the 6K (21:50.10 - LSU Tiger Cross Country Festival) in her first season for the Green Wave.
Coady won the first cross country meet of her collegiate career, the Green Wave Invitational, leading her team to a sweep of the meet. She also placed second and fourth at the Southern Miss Invitational and the LSU Tiger Cross Country Festival, respectively, to help Tulane claim team wins in both meets. Also scored points for her team at the Auburn Tiger Invitational and the Chile Pepper Festival, Coady set personal records in both the 5K (17:54.95 - at Auburn) and the 6K (21:59.94 - at LSU).
Players Mentioned
