Oberlin executed a terrific team race with Johnson locked in a duel with eventual champion Katie Navarre of Denison. Senior Cordelia Revells and first-year Sara Terashima worked together masterfully to finish the race 3rd and 4th, respectively. Running with the second pack of runners, Revells and Terashima were able to finish just in front of Wittenberg’s top two runners, and defeat the top runner from Kenyon as well.

Fellow senior Clara Shaw also ran a strong race finishing in 8th place with a 6-kilometer time of 24:01.6. Junior Julia Beebe rounded out the scoring for Oberlin placing 16th with a time of 24:40.5.

NCAC Coach of the Year Ray Appenheimer said, “It’s never easy coming into a meet being the favorite, but I am very proud of the way our athletes went out there and competed today. Winning this championship is a great thing for our program, it is a great thing for Oberlin, but ultimately it is a testament to the hard work and dedication that these young women have committed themselves to doing. We are going to enjoy this, but we will stay focused and continue working towards the goals that we have set for the region meet in a couple of weeks.”

The Yeowomen bested their 2008-point total of 87, by a staggering 54 points. Oberlin earned their third conference championship in school history and their second in the last four seasons.

Individually, Johnson, Revells, Terashima, Shaw, and Beebe all garnered NCAC All-Conference honors at the end of today’s race. Sara Terashima also earned the honor of NCAC Newcomer of the Year as the highest finishing first-year at the conference meet.

The Oberlin women had even more terrific performances as five more underclasswomen finished in the top 32, led by first-year Erica Long, who finished 22nd overall, with a time of 24:57.8.

The Yeowomen will have a week off before they travel to the NCAA Regionals on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009.