(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 20)--William Woods University claimed the team championship at the American Midwest Conference women's cross country championship meet held Friday in Edwardsville, Ill.

The Owls registered 28 points to outdistance runner-up McKendree University for the team title. The top five runners finished in the top nine in the five-kilometer race.

Meagan Hudson of Missouri Baptist University was the individual champion in Friday's race. Hudson, a sophomore from Festus, Mo., covered the course in a time of 19:31. The AMC All-Conference team is made up of the top 10 finishers in the women's division. The 2007 AMC Women's Cross Country All-Conference team is as follows:

Meagan Hudson, Missouri Baptist University
Sophy Yapsabila, McKendree University
Kristi Palmer, William Woods University
Rachelle Locke, William Woods University
Liesl Nauck, Hannibal-LaGrange College
Janelle Harrison, William Woods University
Leah Hempelmann, William Woods University
Lee Ann Beard, William Woods University
Sara Pettersen, McKendree University
Aimee VanderWal, William Woods University

The AMC awarded two other specialty awards at the conclusion of the race. The honors were voted upon prior to Friday's meet. The 2007 AMC Freshman of the Year is Kristi Palmer of William Woods University, while Sophy Yapsabila of McKendree University was selected as the 2007 AMC Newcomer of the Year. Palmer is from Ste. Genevieve, Mo., while Yapsabila is a sophomore from Kampala, Uganda.

For guiding William Woods to the overall conference championship, Jamie Moreno was named the 2007 AMC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year.

Complete results from the 2007 AMC Women's Cross Country Championship Meet can be found here.