Pfeifer Posts Best Championship Time En Route To 68th At Nationals
Senior Wittenberg cross country runner Mary Pfeifer (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) concluded an admirable four-year Tiger career with an equally admirable 68th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championship Meet on Saturday.
WINNECONNE, Wisc. — Senior Wittenberg cross country runner Mary Pfeifer (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) concluded an admirable four-year Tiger career with an equally admirable 68th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championship Meet on Saturday.
It was the third national championship appearance in her career, a feat accomplished only once before in program history by Abi Gerstle in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Pfeifer ran a 22:05.87 to post her best time in a national championship, and her final spot of 68th was just one place behind her 2009 finish of 67th, making it the third-best Wittenberg performance ever at a national meet.
Pfeifer qualified for the national meet following an impressive seventh-place finish at the Great Lakes Regional Championship, the best regional finish ever for a Tiger. The national field numbered 277, placing Pfeifer in the top 25 percent of finishers.
The women's team championship was won by Washington University of St. Louis, while the individual champion was Chiara Del Piccolo of Williams.
John Strawn '07