TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – When Juli Accurso stepped up to the starting line at the 2011 NCAA Division I Championship race on Monday afternoon, she was already a Mid-American Conference champion. When she crossed the finish line in 36th place, she became an All-American.

The sophomore finished 36th in the competition, placing ahead of 218 other competitors. Accurso (Casstown, Ohio) set a school record in the process, crossing with a time of 20:26.3. She was the fifth sophomore to cross the finish line in an upperclassman-heavy field of 254 runners.

“She started back in the 70s, place wise, around the first mile mark,” said Head Coach Clay Calkins. “Juli did a great job progressing through the field as the race went on. She ran a smart race and becoming an All-American is a terrific accomplishment.”

Juli kept a solid pace throughout the competition, crossing the halfway point at 10:05. Her second-half split of 10:21 kept her in good standing within the field.

With her finish on Monday, Accurso capped off one of the most successful individual seasons in Ohio Women’s Cross Country history. She is the first Bobcat to claim All-American honors since Jackie Conrad in 1998.