Sophomore harrier Annie Bersagel had a day to remember on Dec. 2, leading the women's cross country team to its highest finish ever in the NCAA Championship and earning All-American honors.

Bersagel led the Deacs to a No. 9 finish, the best showing in history for the Wake Forest program. She finished 25th overall, with a time of 20:23.4. The All-American honors capped an incredible season in which the sophomore Bersagel also received All-ACC and Southeast All-Regional honors.

"I see it as a reflection of where our team is at," Bersagel said modestly. "A lot of my success has been dependent on my teammate and coach."

While Bersagel stood out, the Deacs' high finish was a team effort. Four Wake Forest harriers finished in the Top 100. Senior Risa Rutland finished 46th, with a time of 20.58.6. Junior Anna Sherman was close behind at 53rd, with a time of 21.01.9. Freshman Erin Franklin completed the race in 21.26.1, which was good for 96th.

Also competing for the university were sophomore Danielle Coon, redshirt freshman Jill Miller, and junior Nikeya Green.

Although they were ranked No. 4 in the nation entering the tournament, the Deacs were satisfied with their No. 9 finish.

"Almost all of us ran personal records on that course, so we can't really be disappointed because we all improved," Bersagel said. "There were just a lot of other teams who had been underachieving all year and came on (in NCAAs)."

The Deacs were tops among ACC teams in the race. N.C. State was the next highest, finishing 13th. Bersagel said it was especially sweet to decisively defeat the Wolfpack, after sharing the ACC title on a controversial decision.

Duke, Virginia and North Carolina also finished in the top 21 teams, representing the conference well in the national tournament.

The individual title went to an ACC competitor, North Carolina's Shalane Flanagan. Flanagan finished the race in 19:36.0.

The overall championship was captured by Brigham Young University, which had five competitors place in the top 32.

ACC Coach of the Year Annie Schweitzer-Bennett gave birth just days before the race, but was still able to coach. Her dedication did not go unnoticed to the team.

"I think we'd all like to just thank our coach," Bersagel said. "She had her baby the Tuesday before Nationals. It's a wonder she was able to come to the regional meet at all. She's definitely a model of a strong and independent woman."

Only one member of the Wake Forest men's team, senior Mike Altieri, qualified for the race. Altieri finished 68th in the race.