NEW ORLEANS — The Penn State women's cross country and track & field program closed out the 2017-18 academic year ranked No. 11 in the Terry Crawford Women's Division I Program of the Year standings, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Penn State ranks second among Big Ten programs.
"We are very excited to once again see Penn State in the program of the year standings," head coach John Gondak said. "The rankings are based on teams that compete at all three national championships and earn a team score. It continues to show that Penn State has a well-balanced program and is successful during all three sports that encompass cross country and track & field."
The Terry Crawford Women's Division I Program of the Year honors the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year (spanning the cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field seasons) based on the institution's finish at the NCAA Championships.
In order to be eligible for the award, teams must qualify for each of the NCAA Championships. Scoring is based on the team's finish at each NCAA Championship in cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field (i.e. 1st = 1 point, 2nd = 2 points, 31st = 31 points) with the lowest total score for all three championships combined determining the award recipient. Ties among schools split points for positions taken.
This past fall, the Penn State women ran to an 18th-place finish at the 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
The 2018 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships saw the Nittany Lions tally a 40th-place finish. Most recently, Penn State recorded a 24th-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Between the two track championships, the Nittany Lions recorded five First Team All-America finishes.