NEWS RELEASE - 11/08/03

Runners Finish National Meet

LAWRENCE, KS. - Lincoln College sophomores Christien Taitt and Jenine Mills finished 26th and 35th in the NJCAA Division II National Cross Country meet here this past weekend.   Clint Wombles, a freshman, finished in 41st place for the men.
 
Taitt ran the course in 20:36 and Mills finished at 20:58.  "There were 117 runners in the women's field," said Coach Erin Verbeck.  "While Taitt failed to defend her second team all-American status from last year, she still ran a good race as did Mills.  The competition was much tougher than last year.  It was remarkable how much more competitive the times were this season for our division on a much tougher course.  These two women gave it everything they had.
 
"Clint ran exactly the way I asked him to.  Our goal was to finish in the top 40.  He beat four runners who had beaten him last week at the Region race and nobody other than the athletes from National Champion Rend Lake beat him from our region.  In just his third year of cross country, Clint has shown tremendous improvement over his high school career and will likely be the number one runner again next season for the Lynx as well as one of the top runners in the region.  He has really surpassed my expectations this year and I am looking forward to continuing his improvement next season where we hope to have him break 26 minutes in the 8K race."

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Lincoln College was founded in 1865 as Lincoln University, the only institution of higher education named for Abraham Lincoln during his lifetime. It is a selective, two-year, private, liberal arts college located in Lincoln, Illinois. Lincoln College is designed to prepare a student for university study through a structured, supportive approach to learning. Approximately 89% of Lincoln College graduates transfer immediately to a four-year school where they succeed as well as or better than the native student. Student-teacher ratio at Lincoln College is 13:1 and the average class size is 16 students.