Women's Cross Country: Spence garners national award
By staff reports, December 22, 2009
Last updated: Monday, December 21, 2009 11:32 PM EST
Neely Spence has added another accolade to her ever-growing collection. This one may be the most prestigious to date.
The Shippensburg University sophomore was named the 2009 Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year by USA Track and Field Monday. This honor is awarded annually to some of the nation’s highest-profile runners.
Spence, a distance runner who hails from Shippensburg, won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and regional championships for the second consecutive time last season. In fact, she was undefeated until reaching the national championships.
In addition to her cross country accomplishments, Spence made her college track debut in 2009 and won the 5,000 meters in the outdoor national meet, becoming the first Shippensburg runner to accomplish that feat. She was also part of a relay team that won a national title.