SPOKANE, Wash. - The Saginaw Valley State University women's cross country team posted an 11th place finish at the  2013 NCAA Division II National Championships, held at the Plantes Ferry Athletic Complex in Spokane, Wash.

Saginaw Valley finished with a team total of 304, which was 27 points behind 10th place Minnesota-Duluth.  The finish was the best ever at the national level for SVSU, which finished 12th in 2012 and 13th in 2011.

The Cardinals were paced by junior runner Emily Short, who made it back-to-back years finishing as an All-American after finishing in 15th place with a time of 21:32.6.

Sophomore Taylor Stepanski was the next finisher for SVSU, placing 60th overall with a time of 22:23.8.

Fellow sophomore Jessica Reeves finished 68th, crossing the line with a time of 22:29.8.

Juniors Chantelle Fondren and Tori Peet rounded-out SVSU's scoring for the championship, finishing 79th and 82nd with times of 22:35.3 and 22:36.2, respectively.

Saginaw Valley entered the race ranked #11 in the country, its highest ranking ever.  The team returns every competing member for the 2014 season, as it graduates only two student-athletes off its roster.