1994/95 Women's Cross Country Teams (Team) (2008) - Hall of Fame

1994/95 Women's Cross Country Teams (Team)

Induction:
2008
Class:
1995

Women’s Cross Conutry Teams 1994, 1995 The 1194 and 1995 women’s cross country teams established themselves as some of the finest to ever run at Montana State. Both captured Big Sky Conference titles. The 1994 team comprised of Darcee Gilbert O’Donnell, Faith Harvel, Rachel Jaten, Jamie Tuell, Meagan Dockter, Christine Determan, and Brooke Daehlin won the Big Sky championship with 52 points. Harvel, from Boulder, Colo., placed second at the league meet, while Tuell also garnered All-Big Sky Conference accolades finished ninth overall. For her efforts at the Regional meet – which was combined with the Big Sky race- Harvel advanced to the NCAA Championships in Fayettevill, Ark. As a team, the Bobcats missed advancing to the 1994 NCAA National Championship by one spot. But instead of looking the near miss as a major disappointment, the 1994 squad used the stumbling block as a stepping stone for the 1995 season. “We came so close to making the NCAAs,” said long-time Bobcat head coach Dale Kennedy. “The thing that impressed me is that this group didn’t sit around and commiserate. They saw it as a challenge to make the 1995 season even better.” Heading into the 1995 season the Bobcats lost the services of Tuell and Daehlin and the chances of matching the accomplishments of the 1994 team, yet alone expand on them, and started to look ominous. However, Kennedy brought in three newcomers to support a strong core of returners. Joining the 1995 Bobcats were transfers Katie McGee and Nicole Osborne, along with freshman Emily Thompson. The table was set for an improbable run. “Faith Harvel came into the 1995 season and convinced everyone that we were on a mission to make the NCAAs,” Kennedy said. “Their commitment to accomplish the goal was amazing.” As part of the process to earn an at-large berth from a tough Mountain Region, MSU participated in the Pre-National race in Ames, Iowa. The Bobcats put together a solid effort and knocked off teams that would eventually earn automatic berths to the NCAA meet. A month later, Montana State put together its best Big Sky and Mountain Regional performance in the history of the program. Four Bobcats (O’Donnell, 3rd, Harvel, 6th, Thompson, 7th, McGee, 10th) placed in the top ten to lift MSU to its second straight Big Sky title and a third place finish at the Mountain Region event. Based on their performance at the Pre-Nationals and the Mountain Region races, the Bobcats were the second school to receive an at-large berth to the NCAAs. Running on a familiar course in Ames, the Bobcats accomplished a year-long goal of finishing in the ‘Sweet 16’ at the national championship meet, placing 15th overall. It marked on of the highest finished for any Montana State University squad at the NCAA Division I level. “We were the only ones that thought we could do it,” Kennedy said.