Nov. 20, 2006

Tulsa, Okla. - The University of Tulsa's Alex Becker made the most of her trip to the 2006 NCAA Cross Country Championships by claiming a 34th place finish to attain the best finish at nationals ever by a TU woman.

Becker, a sophomore from Guelph, Ontario, Canada, crossed in a time of 21:24.0 in the 6K event and was the highest finisher from Conference USA, edging out SMU's Rachael Forish by .5 seconds.

"She ran very well," said Head Coach Steve Gulley, "She couldn't have run a better race."

Becker faced a large field, carving out her 34th place finish from a field of 253 runners.

Becker is the second Tulsa woman to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships with Fride Vullum qualifying twice in her career with finishes of 61st in 1998 and 95th in 1999.

This caps one of the most successful seasons in TU Cross Country, with the team grabbing eighth place in the region, its best finish ever in regionals, as well as a fourth place finish at the C-USA Championships.