Sept. 28, 2007

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - SMU freshman Silje Fjortoft claimed an impressive fifth-place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational cross country meet on Friday at the nine-hole Notre Dame Golf Course. The field included nine ranked teams and three teams in the top 10 - No. 2 Michigan, No. 6 Illinois and No. 9 Providence.

Fjortoft, a native of Orsta, Norway, crossed the line for the 5K in 16:49, just 17 seconds off the lead. Jessa Simmons was SMU's No. 2 finisher, crossing in 17:59, good for 66th. Sierra Anderson took 78th in 18:08 while Samantha Means, who won the Movin' Mavs Cross Country Challenge earlier this month, was 132nd in 19:00. Ilyssa Pettigrew (19:20/141st) and Kelsey Howard (19:48/156th) rounded out the SMU squad.

As a team, SMU took 18th in the 21-team field.

The Notre Dame Invitational is one of the nation's oldest and largest intercollegiate cross country meets. It was started in 1956 by legendary former Irish head coach Alex Wilson and has been run continuously ever since. The men's races originally began as four-mile events before being extended to five miles in 1968, with the 5K women's race being added in 1987.

For complete results, click here.

SMU returns to the course on Oct. 13 at the Chili Pepper Invite in Fayetteville, Ark