W&J's first cross country All-American

Sophomore Kristen Galligan became the first Washington & Jefferson College cross country runner -- man or woman -- to earn All-America honors by finishing in 12th place Saturday at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships at Rose Hulman Institute of Technology’s LaVern Gibson Course in Terre Haute, Ind.

Galligan ran the 6K course in a time of 21:28.1, only 33 seconds behind national champion Christy Cazzola of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The top 35 runners are selected as NCAA All-Americans. Galligan improved 167 spots from last year when she became the first female runner in school history to compete at the national championship.

W&J’s Scott Ryan capped his record-breaking career with a 142nd-place finish. He raced the 8K course in 25:57.4. Wisconsin-Stout’s Tim Nelson won the national title (24:26.8).

Ryan, the 2012 Presidents’ Athletic Conference champion, was 175th last year at the NCAA Championships in the first male appearance by a W&J runner.