The Emory University women's cross country team maintained its preeminent role in cross country circles in 2007, ranking among the nation's top teams while posting numerous accomplishments.  Under the direction of Head Coach John Curtin, the Eagles recorded the following

** A 17th-place performance at the NCAA Division III National Championships.
** A 1st-place showing at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional Championships, the team's 16th championship in the past 17 seasons. 
** A No. 20 national ranking by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
** A No. 3 finish at the UAA Championships, the 17th straight year the Eagles had finished among the top three.
** Three runners who claimed All-University Association honors
** All seven runners garnering All-Region acclaim
** A 1st-place finish out of 14 teams at the Pre-Nationals competition.

The trio of senior Lauren Shores and juniors Melissa Jones and Natalie Waryck were a consistent and stabilizing force on the team.  Their veteran leadership provided a model for the younger members of the team to follow and their performances on the trail were just as impressive as they all ranked among the Eagles' top three finishers in all their competitions.


Lauren Shores
Shores paced the Eagles in three of her five competitions including a third-place effort overall out of 186 runners at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional Championships.  Her efforts sparked an impressive 3-5-6-16-22 team finish and enabled her to claim All-Region honors for the fourth straight year.  Shores was a driving force in the Eagles' first-place finish at Pre-Nationals (Northfield, MN) as she paced the Emory contingent while crossing the line in third position out of 186 entries.  At the Bulldog Stampede, hosted by the University of Georgia, her time of 18:51 led the squad and would prove to be Emory's best time for a 5K event during the year.  At the UAA Championships, she was the team's No. 2 runner with a 6K mark of 22:59 placing seventh in the 78-runner field.  Shores earned a first-team spot on the All-UAA Team for the first time in her career after bringing home second-team recognition her previous three years.  Shores closed out her career with the fifth-highest victory total in school history with a 3,549-609 mark.

Melissa Jones
After capturing All-America honors as a sophomore in 2006, Jones enjoyed another banner season, ranking as one of Emory's top three finishers in all six of her competitions.  In her first three events, she topped the squad in one outing, the season opener at the University of the South Invitational where she came in sixth out of 149 runners, and ranked as the club's No. 2 performer at the Bulldog Stampede (5K time of 19:01) and Pre-Nationals (fifth overall out of 154 entries).  At the South/Southeast Regional Championships, she helped the Eagles to the title by being the second Emory contestant to finish and fifth overall out of 186 hopefuls.  Jones' effort enabled her to claim All-South/Southeast Region recognition for the third straight year.   She earned Second Team All-UAA acclaim after her ninth-place finish at the conference meet.   Melissa's best 6K time came at the NCAA Championships where she posted a 22:54. She finished with a 787-134 record and her 2,501 career victories ranks her 14th on Emory's all-time ladder heading into the 2008 campaign.

Natalie Waryck
Waryck blossomed into a key member of the pack and rang up top-three Emory finishes in all six of her competitions.  She saved her best performances for the second half of season including a team-best fifth-place showing out of 78 runners at the UAA Championships that earned her a first-team berth on the all-league team.  She kept the momentum from the UAAs rolling into the Regional Championships where she claimed sixth place in the 186-member field, enabling her to land all-region honors for the first time in her career. At the NCAA Championships, her season-best 6K time of 22:35 topped all Emory entries (ninth fastest time in school history) and placed her 57th out of 280 runners.  She led the team in wins, registering an 823-98 record.

Megan Shaughnessy
To say that Megan Shaughnessy was a workhorse in 2007 would be an understatement.  The junior out San Antonio, Texas, took part in seven meets during the fall and finished among the top five Emory performers in six.  Second on the team with 805 victories, she earned All-South/Southeast Region honors for the second straight year after finishing 22nd at that event. At the NCAA Championships, she was the fourth Emory runner to finish and recorded a season-best 6K mark of 23:19.  Earlier in the year, she came in 13th out of 154 competitors at the Pre-Nationals.  After three seasons, she has chalked up 1,772 victories and is among the top 25 all-time at Emory.

Rebecca Willett
The owner of a 767-324 record, Willett made significant improvement during her junior season.  A model of dependability, she finished among the team's top five finishers in all seven of her competitions. In terms of intra-team finishes, her best showing was when she was the second Eagle to finish and 15th out of 171 at the Georgia State Invitational.  After placing 11th out 154 runners at Pre-Nationals, she would go onto bring home All-South/Southeast Region honors for the first time after recording a 16th-place performance out of 186 competitors.  Her best 6K time of the year was a 23:43 at the UAA Championships.

Rebecca Flink
Rebbeca Flink continued to gain experience and climbed further up the Emory ladder in 2007, competing in seven meets and ranking among the top five Emory runners in two competitions.  She was the No. 3 Eagle to cross the line and 21st overall out of 171 entries at the Georgia State Invitational.  Flink was fourth on the team at the Bulldog Stampede with a season-best 5K time of 19:38.  Though she did not figure among the Emory scorers, she nabbed all-region honors for the second straight season after her 26th-place showing at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional Championships.  Her best career 6K time came at the NCAA Championships where she crossed the line in 23:55

All-South/Southeast /Region
Melissa Jones                                                               Zionsville, IN
Lauren Shores                                                              Manchester, MO
Natalie Waryck                                                             Springfield, OH
Rebecca Willett                                                             Mobile, AL
Megan Shaughnessy                                                     San Antonio, TX
Rebbeca Flink                                                              Loudonville, NY
Jenny Feinberg                                                             Andover, MA

South/Southeast Region Coach of the Year
John Curtin

All-University Athletic Association
Lauren Shores              First Team                   Manchester, MO
Natalie Waryck            First Team                   Springfield, OH
Melissa Jones               Second Team               Zionsville, IN

United States Track & Field And Cross Country Coaches Association Academic All-American
Lauren Shores
Natalie Waryck
Melissa Jones
Jenny Feinberg

UAA Runner of the Week
Lauren Shores                 (Sept. 24, 2007)          Manchester, MO