WEBSTER GROVES – In today's fourth Tuesday Top 5, which delves into some of the top five statistical lists in the history of Webster University Athletics, we look at the Top 5 finishes for women's cross country at the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships since the league began offering the sport in 1990. These are based solely on position finish in the in the race and not the time posted.
 
Today's Tuesday 5 looks at the Top 5 finishes by a Gorlok women's cross country runner at the SLIAC Championship Meet since 1990. Since 1990, Webster has had three different women's cross country runners win an individual SLIAC title, including senior Kalleigh Linthicum (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Timberland) taking home first place honors last season. In fact, since 1990, Webster has had just nine runners finish in the Top 3 of the SLIAC Championship meet, with seven of those nine finishes coming since 2013.
 
Rita Ross (1993) … Ross became the first of three Webster women's cross country runners to finish first at a conference championship meet. Ross won the 1993 SLIAC individual title as Webster finished third as a team at the championship meet. Ross won the league title with a 5K time of 21:40 at the meet held at Principia College in Elsah, Ill. For her efforts, she was named the SLIAC Runner of the Year and was the first Gorlok to earn All-SLIAC honors in women's cross country.
 
Valerie Martin (2015) … Martin became the second of three Webster women's cross country runners to finish first at a conference championship meet. Martin won the 2015 SLIAC individual title as Webster finished fourth as a team at the championship meet. Martin won the league title with a 6K time of 23:07, which is the second fastest 6K time in the program's history. The 2015 meet was held at Hillsboro Golf and Country Club in Hillsboro, Ill. For her efforts, Martin was the second Gorlok to be named the SLIAC Runner of the Year and she also earned repeat First-Team All-SLIAC honors in cross country.
 
Kalleigh Linthicum (2019) … Just four years after Martin became the second Gorlok to win a conference title, Linthicum became the third runner from Webster to take home first place at a conference championship meet. Linthicum won the 2019 SLIAC individual title as Webster took home the SLIAC team title for the third consecutive season. Linthicum won the league title with a 6K time of 23:14.63, which is the fifth fastest 6K time in school history. The 2019 championship meet was held at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky. For her efforts, Linthicum earned SLIAC Runner of the Year honors and repeated as a First-Team All-SLIAC performer.
 
Valerie Martin (2014) … Martin was the first Webster women's cross country runner to post a runner-up finish at the conference championship meet. Martin was the runner-up at the 2014 SLIAC Championships that was held at Forest Park in St. Louis, Mo. Martin finished 33 seconds behind the champion as she ran a 6K time of 23:29, which is the eighth fastest 6K time in program history. Sarah Litwiller of Principia won the league's individual title with a time of 22:56. In 2014, Webster placed fourth as a team as they scored 88 points. Martin earned First-Team All-SLIAC honors thanks to her runner-up finish.
 
5 Runners Tied for Final Spot on Top 5 List (Kjersti Ehrie, Heather Heisse, Holly Goergen, Meredith Sowers and Kaitlin Higgins) …  All five runners posted third place finishes at their respective SLIAC Championships. Ehrie, who was inducted into the Webster Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016, placed third at the 1995 SLIAC Championships held in Fulton, Mo., finishing with a 5K time of 21:16. Heisse was the third place finisher in 2013 as she posted a school record 6K time of 22:37 at the championship meet held in Hillsboro, Ill. Goergen crossed the finish line third in 2017 with a 6K time of 23:17 at the championship meet held in Litchfield, Ill. Sowers finished third in 2018 with a 6K time of 23:40 at the meet held in Litchfield, Ill., and Higgins took home third place honors in 2019 as she ran a 6K time of 23:54.49 in Louisville, Ky.  
 
Please remember to check back each Tuesday during the fall of 2020 for our newest edition of Tuesday Top 5.

Previous Tuesday Top 5's
Oct. 6 – Volleyball Career Digs
Oct. 13 - Men's Soccer Career Saves
Oct. 20 – Women's Soccer Career Points