More than half of the Webster University women's cross country team ended its season at a peak in the NCAA Division III regional championships.
 
Of the team's seven runners, four recorded season-best times at the meet held in Oshkosh, WI. The other three registered their season bests in the squad's previous meet, the conference championships.
 
The Gorloks placed 28th in the team standings of this meet, which was open to all 48 schools in the Midwest region that sponsor women's cross country as a sport. This is Webster's highest finish at the NCAA regionals since 2011 when it finished 24th.
 
As usual, the 1-2 punch for Webster was Holly Goergen (Jr., Phoenix, AZ / Shadow Mountain), and Meghan Illig (Jr., St. Louis, MO / Lindbergh).
 
Goergen completed the 6,000-meter course in a time of 24 minutes and five seconds. That is the fifth-best time ever by a Gorlok at the NCAA regionals. The junior improved her time from last year at this meet (24:31), which was an improvement over her time as a freshman in this meet (25:00). She set a new personal-best time for this season, running 39 seconds faster than she did at the conference championships two weeks earlier.
 
Goergen's time places her 16th on the school's all-time list for fastest 6k races. She also owns the sixth-best time (23:34) on that list thanks to one of her 2015 races. Goergen was the squad's No. 1 finisher in three of seven races this season.
 
For the season, she compiled 734 wins, 10th highest total in school history.  She also owns the second-highest total (1,085) set last season when Webster competed in some larger meets. [Note: A runner is credited with a win for each competitor who finishes behind them, and a loss for each one who finishes ahead of them.] Her season win percentage of .744 is seventh best in school history.
 
Goergen boosted her career wins total to 2,389, good for fourth place in the Webster record book. That puts her within reach of the school record of 2,868 wins held by Heather Heisse (2010-13).
 
Illig was timed in 24:19, which is the seventh fastest registered by a Webster runner at any NCAA regional championships. The time is 24th on the school's all-time list of fastest 6k meets. She also is on that same list with the 9th and 23rd best times from her prior races.
 
Illig lowered her time from last season at this same meet (24:50), which was an improvement compared to her freshman year performance at the NCAA regionals (26:06). She was the squad's No. 1 finisher in two of seven races this season, and among its top two in every race.
 
For the season, she was credited with 745 wins, ninth highest ever by a Gorlok. Illig had 924 wins last season, which placed her fourth in the school record book. Her career win total stands at 2,107, sixth among all runners ever to compete at Webster.
 
Finishing on a high note for this season was Meredith Sowers (Fr., Rolla, MO / Rolla) who ran 25:41. That is the eighth fastest time ever recorded by a freshman Gorlok at the NCAA regional meet. She lowered her season-best time by 27 seconds from her previous best set at the SLIAC meet two weeks ago.
 
Sowers was the team's No. 3 finisher today, her highest placement of the season. In a late September meet, she was the team's No. 8 runner, then moved up to No. 7 in the following meet, then No. 4 in the next two meets leading up to today's race.
 
Valerie Martin (Sr., St. Louis, MO / Webster Groves) finishes her college career as one of the more accomplished runners in Webster history. After three seasons, she will graduate with 2,759 career wins, which is the third best in Gorlok history. Her career win percentage of .762 is a school record (minimum 300 wins).
 
Today, Martin ran a 25:42, putting her a second behind teammate Sowers. She was the squad's No. 1 runner in two races this season, and in 15 of 21 career races. She is one of two runners in school history to earn three all-conference first-team berths.
 
Behind Martin were a pair of freshmen who both ran their fastest time this season. One was Jessica Phibbs (Fr., Vancouver, WA / Mountain View), who ran 26:24, the 11th best time in school history by a freshman at the NCAA regionals. She lowered her personal best time from 26:57, set at the Principia meet in early October. Phibbs was among the team's top five runners in all six of her races this season.
 
Savannah Dorman (Fr., Flagstaff, AZ / Coconino) ran a 27:37, an improvement on her previous best of 28:07, registered two weeks ago in the conference championships.
 
Rounding out Webster's lineup was Lexie Salamone (So., Greenwood, MO / Lee's Summit West) at 27:38.
 
Webster's top five averaged 25:14, a season best in a 6k race. The split in time between its No. 1 and 5 runners was 2:19, its narrowest in a 6k race this season.
 
Webster could return six of its top seven runners next season and nine of its top 10.