CLARION’S RICHARD SET TO RUN AT NCAA’S

Senior is first Golden Eagle woman to compete at NCAA’s since 2004

            Clarion University senior Erin Richard (Erie/McDowell) is set to take part in the 2007 NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country National Championships Saturday at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, MO.

            She is the first Golden Eagle women’s runner to compete at the NCAA National meet since Melissa Terwilliger became the first Clarion women’s runner to earn All-American status with a 17^th place finish in 2004.

            “Erin’s goals are to earn All-American honors and place in the Top 15 overall,” Clarion’s second-year head coach Jayson Resch said. “The course is relatively flat, which will make for a fast race. We are both very confident that her training has prepared her for a fast race.”

            Richard became the first Clarion women’s runner to win the PSAC Championship when she took the conference title three weeks ago at Kutztown. She followed that up with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA East Regional meet at Lock Haven two weeks ago.

            “Erin has been able to gain the rest she needed after the PSAC and Regional championships,” Resch said. “We have focused her training all season long on being prepared to run her best at the NCAA Championship.”

            GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES –Richard, who was All-Region with her fourth-place finish, was All-Region last season as well taking 11^th … Richard was a three-time All-American in track last year earning All-American honors in the Indoor 5,000 and the outdoor 5,000 and 10,000. She was the PSAC Indoor champion in the Mile and the outdoor PSAC champion in the 3,000 and 5,000. In her career ,she has seven combined PSAC Indoor and Outdoor Track gold medals and was the 2007 PSAC Outdoor Women’s Track Athlete of the Year and the 2007 United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) East Region Indoor Women’s Track Athlete of the Year … Richard, a Clarion and PSAC “Scholar-Athlete”,  is also a great student and was a 2007 third-team ESPN The Magazine Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America and a 2007 first-team District 2 College Division ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection as well as a USTFCCCA All-Academic team member.