BEREA, OHIO - Baldwin-Wallace College senior distance ace Jessica Textoris (Akron/ Medina Highland H.S.) finished 10th individually with a time of 17:28.70 in the 5000 meter run today (March 15) at the 2003 NCAA Division III National Championship Meet at Depauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. She was the third of three Yellow Jacket women to compete.
Yesterday (March 14), a pair of 800 meter runners, junior Stacy Havaich (Austintown Fitch High School) and senior Tara Gruskiewicz (Williamsfield/ Pymatuning Valley H.S.) both competed but failed to qualify for today's finals.
Textoris entered today's 5000 meter race ranked 13th of 15 entrants. She qualified with a time of 17:28.43 which she ran on Friday, March 7, at the B-W National Qualifier at the B-W Recreation Center and on the Harrison Dillard Track. Textoris, this fall's Ohio Athletic Conference Cross Country Runner of the Year, competed last spring at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship Meet in the 3000 meter steeplechase.
Gruskiewicz was fifth and Havaich seventh in their heat with times of 2:16.61 and 2:18.15, respectively. Both times were well below their national meet qualifying times. Havaich entered the meet ranked sixth nationally with a time of 2:14.87 and Gruskiewicz was ranked seventh at 2:15.05.
For more information, please contact Depauw SID Bill Wagner at (765) 658-4630, by FAX at (765) 658-4708, via e-mail at bwagner@depauw.edu or via the Depauw University Internet Web site at www.depauw.edu/ath.
In addition to the trio of competitors at the NCAA Division III National Indoor Meet, the remainder of the Yellow Jacket men's and women's teams are competing today in Tallahassee, Florida at the annual Florida State University Early-Bird Meet. Results of that meet will be available on this Web site later tonight or by visiting the FSU Web site at www.seminoles.com.
FOR MORE BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION, please call Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple at 440-826-2327, FAX him at 440-826-2329 or e-mail him at kruple@bw.edu. To contact Head Track & Field Coach Dr. Bill Taraschke, please call him at 440-826-3322, FAX him at 440-826-2192 or e-mail him at wtarasch@bw.edu.
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