Susquehanna Women's Track & Field

SELINSGROVE, Pa. — The Susquehanna University women's cross country and track & field programs have rich and proud histories. And last year also proved exceptional, as all three of fifth-year head coach Marty Owens' women's teams turned in successful seasons.

Led by individual champion Alycia Woodruff '11 (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East), SU raced to a fourth-place team finish at the first-ever Landmark Conference women's cross country championships in 2007. Woodruff earned the Landmark's Outstanding Female Performer award at the meet and first-team all–conference honors, while teammates Laura Gausmann '09 (York, Pa./West York) and Cait Pflaum '10 (York, Pa./West York) landed on the second team.

Woodruff (left) represented the Crusaders at the NCAA Division III cross country championships last year due to an all–region performance at the Division III Mideast Region championships.

At the 2008 Landmark Conference indoor track & field championships, the Crusaders fought to a second-place team finish at the James W. Garrett Sports Complex — its home facility. Woodruff earned the Landmark's Indoor Rookie of the Year award on the strength of three first-place finishes.

SU impressed again with a second-place team finish at the 2008 Landmark outdoor track & field championships as well. Ashley Moormann '08 led the way with top-three finishes in all four throwing events, including two first-place efforts, to earn the conference's Outstanding Field Performer award. Woodruff earned another Rookie of the Year award, this time by way of winning two events. Sarah Spearing '11 (Wenham, Mass./Hamilton-Wenham Regional) (below) and Robin O'Hara '08 each captured an individual title.

As evidenced by his teams' many scholastic laurels, academics is extremely important to Coach Owens. Gausmann, Pflaum, Katherine Bell '08, Sara Jagielski '08 and Erica Zornig '08 each earned a spot on the 2007 Landmark fall academic honor roll. Gausmann also garnered inclusion on the Landmark fall all-academic team last year, and Moormann was hailed as one of the conference's 2007-08 winter Senior Scholar Athletes and a 2008 spring all-academic team member.

SU also placed 19 women's track & field athletes on the Landmark winter and/or spring academic honor rolls during the 2007-08 academic year. The 19 honorees were the most of any SU team in any season last school year. Sarah Burkhardt '08 was on both honor rolls and was also honored as one of the conference's 2008 spring Senior Scholar Athletes.

Moreover, the U.S. Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association honored Woodruff with inclusion on its Division III all-academic track & field team. The SU women's track & field team as a whole was also honored.