GATES MILL, OH – Senior Tricia Steffen earned first-team All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors Saturday, placing seventh with the time of 24:39.30 in the OAC Cross Country championships at Gilmour Academy. As a team, Wilmington placed seventh of 10 teams.

"I was pleased with seventh this year," said Wilmington head coach Ron Combs. "We were tenth last year, and I felt if we ran really well, we could be sixth this season. I am happy with the improvement showed in one season. We so are young, inexperienced."

It marks the second consecutive All-OAC honor for Steffen (Baltimore, OH/Liberty Union), who earned second-team laurels a season ago.

"I am extremely pleased with Tricia Steffen earning first team," said Combs. "She really hasn't run close to those girls all year, but that is the plan. We are trying to peak her for the big stuff at the end, and today was the first step in that. I thought she ran an amazing race."

Mount Union won the event with 29 points, followed by Otterbein (69), John Carroll (89), Heidelberg (108), Ohio Northern (114), Muskingum (162), Wilmington (187), Capital (223), Baldwin Wallace (246) and Marietta (280).

Senior Veronica Burnam (New Richmond, OH/New Richmond) and freshman Kylie Watson (Georgetown, OH/Georgetown) finished 37th and 38th, respectively. Burnam crossed the finish line in the time of 26:32.70, while Watson recorded the time of 26:37.63.

Junior Mary Krebs (Kettering, OH/Alter) was the fourth Quaker to finish, placing 49th in 27:27.24, while the final WC harrier to score was freshman Christina Paskow (Felicity, OH/Felicity-Franklin), who placed 56th with a time of 28:23.98.

Wilmington will compete at the Great Lakes Regional meet at The Golf Center at Kings Island November 15.