Jill Scully's cross country career came to an end Monday at the NCAA Championships. Scully, the lone Ball State runner in the event, finished 52nd out of the 250 runners in the race.
Scully finished with a time of 21:22.1, a minute and 14 seconds off the winner.
"It went well, very well in fact," Scully said. "I finished 52nd, which was better than the 130-something I placed two years ago"
Scully began the race in a group of four girls who were the lone runners from their school. At the beginning of the race she felt that this group bogged her down, and she started the race near the back.
She was able to increase the pace, and quickly began to make her way up front.
"I can only wonder what would have happened in a good start," she said. "I was just picking people off. I was able to place where I was in region, and I think I was the top runner from the MAC, so it was a good race."
The other runners from the Mid-American Conference were Buffalo's Jennifer Koeppel, who finished in 56th and Akron's Morgan Sulzener, who placed 199th.
Scully said she enjoyed herself, and seemed very upbeat following the race.
"It rained in the morning, so the course was horribly muddy," she said. "That made it very fun. By the end of the race, I was covered in mud."
While Scully was the only representation from Ball State in the race, the entire team came out to support Scully in the stands.
The team wore their Ball State cross country shirts, and had "Go Jill" written on their stomachs, and had red and white stripped soccer socks up to their knees.
"I've never had support at a meet like that," Scully said. "People from other schools were stopping them to get photos. It was really cool."
While Scully has two years of eligibility left in indoor and outdoor track, this will be her final cross country meet in Ball State colors.
"I feel this race was a good end to my senior cross country season, and a good way to start the track season," she said.
The indoor track season begins on Jan. 15 at the Ball State Open.
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