September 5, 2012
Michelle Matter - Ripon College
Senior - Sussex, Wis.
Matter led Ripon to a third place finish out of 12 teams at Saturday’s St. Norbert College Tom Barry Invitational. She finished third among the 162 competitors with a 5K time of 19:13, which is the eighth-fastest time in school history.

September 11, 2012
Ana Flores - Illinois College
Sophomore - Beardstown, Ill.
Flores ran a time of 19:55 in the women’s 6K at the 26th annual Bradley Open on Friday. Flores’ time was good enough for 50th overall and fifth in the college division. The IC women finished second in the college division.

September 18, 2012
Megan O’Grady - Carroll University
Senior - Niles, Ill.
O’Grady finished first among NCAA Division III athletes and second overall at the Concordia (WI) University Cross Country Invitational on Saturday. O’Grady finished the event with a time of 22:50, leading the Pioneers to a third-place team finish.

September 25, 2012
Sarah Burnell - Grinnell College
Junior - Grinnell, Iowa
Burnell defeated the defending Midwest Conference champion while placing fourth in a 397-runner field at the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational hosted by Augustana College on Friday. She had a time of 22:27.3 in the 6-kilometer event, a clocking that ranks first in the Midwest Conference this season and fourth in program history. Her efforts helped Grinnell to a fourth-place finish in the 32-team event.

October 2, 2012
Ana Flores - Illinois College
Sophomore - Beardstown, Ill.
Flores turned in her team’s top finish at the Beloit College Olde English Classic on Saturday, clocking a time of 21:10 in the 5K race to finish in ninth place. Flores’ performance helped Illinois College to a fifth-place team finish.

October 9, 2012
Sarah Burnell - Grinnell College
Junior - Grinnell, Iowa
Burnell jumped up to second on the Pioneers’ all-time 6-kilometer chart with a time of 22:01 at the Dan Huston Invitational hosted by Wartburg College on Saturday. She placed fourth in the 116-runner field and has the fastest time in the MWC this season.

October 16, 2012
Michelle Matter - Ripon College
Senior - Sussex, Wis.
Matter helped Ripon to a second-place finish at Saturday’s Wisconsin Private College Championships, finishing behind only Carthage College who is ranked eighth in the Midwest Region. Matter ran a 6K time of 23:02, which was the second-best time out of the 138 runners that finished the race. That earned Matter First Team All-State honors for the third time in her career.

October 23, 2012
Emma Hudspath - Illinois College
Senior - Lewistown, Ill.
Hudspath scored a third-place overall finish that helped the Illinois College women’s cross country team to a first-place team finish Saturday at the Springfield Invite hosted by Benedictine University Springfield. Hudspath turned in a time of 21:50 in the women’s 5K race to take third place.