Women?s Cross Country Ranked No. 23 By Flotrack
August 26, 2015 | Cross Country
STARKVILLE, Miss. – With the 2015 cross country season just over one week away, the Mississippi State women's team has earned a No. 23 preseason ranking by Flotrack's Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown.
The ranking comes off the heels of an unprecedented season finishing fifth in the SEC, the highest in school history.
“It's great to see this team recognized for its talent,” coach Houston Franks said. “We have a great group of women this season and think we will see great things from them all. They've put in a lot of work and we're ready to see what this season holds.”
A major contributor to the year was Rhianwedd Price, who became the second All-American in program history. The junior's most distinguished finish, however, came at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor track and field championships where she captured the 1500m title after a late, thrilling push.
Last year, Price was MSU's No. 1 runner.
“I'm feeling a little bit more pressure this season, honestly," Price said. "But we have a really good team this year, so as long as one of us is up there leading and everyone is working their hardest, I feel we are going to do really well this year."
Also returning to join Price on the course is senior Cornelia Griesche, who was named to the All-Region team as last season's 2014 South Regional Cross Country Championships.
Lisa Ziegler also returns to MSU for her junior campaign. The Baden-Baden, Germany, native comes into the 2015 campaign after being a constant second for the cross country team last season.
Newcomer Marta Freitas joins the MSU cross county team after initially joining in January. Freitas appeared in the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships alongside Price in the 1500m run.
Another key addition to the 2015 team will be Ffion Price, twin sister of Rhianwedd Price. Ffion's personal best in the 1500m run is 4:18.07, and her personal best in the 800m run is 2:09.35. She was also the this years Under 20 Welsh Cross Country Champion.
Under the guidance of seventh-year coach Franks, MSU's growing squad looks to improve this season and hopefully produce the program's first NCAA Cross Country Championship team appearance.
The MSU women and men's cross country teams begin competition on Sept. 5 in Memphis at the Memphis Twilight.
For more information on the Bulldogs visit HailState.com and follow on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @HailStateTF.
