At the Heptagonal Championships this cross-country season, Costello shattered the competition’s record time, recording a 16:59.9 to pace Princeton to a dominant team victory. The Tigers as a whole finished with a point total of 17 points after taking first, second, third, fifth and sixth places — another new record that was well ahead of the previous best team score of 23.
Such success, however, was the norm for Costello this season. Costello was the top finisher for the Tigers at the Pre-Nationals Meet, Heps, the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional and the NCAA Cross Country Championship.
In the last two meets, Costello played a crucial role in Princeton’s best season in team history. At regionals, she surged past the eventual third-place runner to take second, and the Tigers advanced to the championship on a tiebreaker with West Virginia, which matched Princeton’s team score of 51. At the national championship meet, Costello finished 11th in the nation, and the Tigers followed their fastest runner to their best finish in team history.
Costello has not been a one-year phenom. She has three first-team All-Ivy selections to her name and is the two-time defending Heps champion, a testament to her dominance within the Ancient Eight. That dominance is only more remarkable considering that Princeton’s team philosophy emphasizes pack running, a strategy in which the Tigers stick relatively close together during the race before the final kick.
Costello’s knack for performing in the clutch does not only benefit one team. She also competes and excels for the track and field team, with the first All-American recognition of her career coming during the 2007 indoor track season. Last weekend, Costello ran a blistering 3,000m run at the 2009 Ivy League Championship, giving Princeton a point lead in the meet it would never relinquish.
Costello’s outstanding season with the cross-country team has not gone unnoticed. This year, Costello earned her first All-American honor as a cross-country athlete. We heartily support this selection. For her record-setting performances and the unparalleled success that her teams have experienced, Liz Costello is the 2009 Daily Princetonian Female Athlete of the Year.
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