'HANOVER, INDIANA 11/22/03 - The Keene State College men's cross country team finish eighth at the NCAA Division III Championships held Saturday at the L.S. Ayres Athletic Complex on the Hanover College's campus in Indiana.

Making their seventh straight trip to the nationals, the Owls tallied 279 points.  Calvin College ran away with the title with 48 points.  Wisconsin Stevens-Point was second with 128 points.

Keene State Coach Peter Thomas said "it was a fair day for his runners.  It wasn't what we expected, but it was better than last year.  We didn't get a good race from our fourth and fifth runners."  KSC was 12th at last year's race. Thomas felt the warm 63 -degree temperature also hindered the Owls.

Owl runners Dave Bridgewater, a junior from Unionville, Conn., and Josh Ferenc, a senior from Westmoreland, Mass., earned All-America honors at the meet.  Bridgewater finished 23rd in a time of 25:39 while Ferenc placed 33rd with a time of 25:45 over the 8K course.

"I was in a good position after 6K, but didn't have a kick at the end," said Bridgewater.  "But it's a nice feeling to earn my first All-America in cross country."Bridgewater was an indoor track All-America in the DMR last winter. 

Ferenc also claimed his first All-America in cross country; He was an outdoor track All-America in the 10,000-meters in 2002. Bridgewater and Ferenc become the 37th and 38th men's cross country runners at KSC to earn All-America.

An All-America last year, Dave Raymond (Princeton, Mass.) faded down the stretch and finish 47th (26:07).  Ryan Gough (Billerica, Mass.) (134th/27:06) and Casey Cole (Southbury, Conn.) (156th/27:20) round out KSC's top finishers.

Josh Moen of Wartburg College won the race with a time of 24:34.

Bidding for her first All-America, senior Karen Jordan had a disappointing day on the trail.  The senior from Enfield, N.H. placed 145th with a time of 24:20 on the women's 6K course.  "She just had a bad day and was really disappointed with her performance, " said Thomas.

Middlebury College (135 points) defeated Trinity College (174 points) for the women's championship.  Missy Buttry of Wartburg won the women's race with a time of 20:00.