PISCATAWAY, NJ – The Rutgers women’s cross country team competed in the District II Championships today at Canaan Resorts in Davis, West Virginia. The Scarlet Knights finished in ninth place in a 27-team field, with 276 team points. Georgetown won the event with 50 points, followed by Villanova, Penn State, West Virginia, Princeton, Bucknell, LaSalle, and Maryland.

Julie Culley (Lebanon, NJ) placed third overall, with a time of 20:49, qualifying her to compete individually at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, IN. She was just 17 seconds off the pace of WVU’s Megan Metcalfe, who took top individual honors with a time of 20:32. In the 2000 Districts, Culley placed eighth and she did not compete last year due to a back injury.

Belmax DeJesus (Fort Lee, NJ) was the second RU finisher, placing 55th with a time of 22:49, Jane Albright (Basking Ridge, NJ) finished in 61st place with a time of 23:31 and Kathryn Tappen (Morristown, NJ) finished in 23:31 for 83rd place. Stacey Muchal (Jermyn, PA) rounded out the top five scorers, finishing in 88th place with a time of 23:33.

The season ends for the Scarlet Knights with this meet, as only the top two placing teams in each district continue on to the NCAA Championships. Culley will represent Rutgers on Monday, Nov. 25. To receive an automatic bid individually, a runner must place in the top-25 of the district or place in the top four finishers that are not going with a team. At Pre-Nationals on Oct. 19, which took place on the same course as Nationals will, Culley finished first in the open race with a time of 20:55.7, running against 235 other competitors.

Women's Top 10 Team Results
1. Georgetown (50)
2. Villanova (57)
3. Penn State (111)
4. West Virginia (131)
5. Princeton (144)
6. Bucknell (179)
7. LaSalle (230)
8. Maryland (254)
9. Rutgers (276)
10. Penn (324)