Finn, UM both 2nd at NCAA cross-country championships

Terre Haute, Ind. — Michigan senior Erin Finn finished as the runner-up in the NCAA cross country championships Saturday, passed in the final straightaway at the Lavern Gibson Championship Course here.

Fifth-ranked Michigan also ended up second, one point behind champion Oregon, which won the national title with 125 points. Colorado was third at 134 points.

Finn (West Bloomfield) was in the lead pack from the gun and led the race until near the five-kilometer mark, where Notre Dame’s Anna Rohrer took over. But by the final straightaway, Finn had regained the lead, only to see Missouri’s Karissa Schweizer surge past. Schweizer clocked in at 19 minutes, 41.6 seconds for the six-kilometer distance. Finn crossed the line at 19:44.2 to earn her third All-America honor.

In her NCAA championship debut, junior Avery Evenson was the Wolverines’ second finisher, taking 18th in 20:11.5. Gina Sereno finished in 30th (20:19.5), freshman Madeline Trevisan was 46th (20:29.7) and Jaimie Phelan was 65th (20:38.2).

The second-place team finish matched Michigan’s best result at the national meet. The Wolverines also were second in 1994.

Rachele Schulist finished 12th overall (20:07) to lead Michigan State, which finished eighth at 314 points. Alexis Wiersma (20:30.3) was 49th.

Jordann McDermitt (20:14.6) finished 24th to lead Eastern Michigan to ninth place (316).

Michigan State was 20th in the men’s race.