Hopes were high for sophomore Lindsey Scherf when she traveled to the Midwest for the NCAA cross country finals.

Just two weeks after finishing a strong fifth at the NCAA Northeast regional, the Scarsdale, N.Y., native made the trek to Terre Haute, Ind., yesterday for the national championships at Indiana State University.

“If everything comes together I’d be very pleased with a top-five finish,” Scherf said after her regional run.

Unfortunately, yesterday was not one of those days.

Scherf finished a disappointing 53rd out of 253 runners with a time of 20:42.2, 1:09.3 behind winner Johanna Nilsson of Northern Arizona.

“I took it out a little hard, and I was wheezing through the first kilometer,” Scherf said. “Sometimes you have those days where it just doesn’t all come together.”

“The one thing I can say—that is pretty much the same with every race—is that I feel good about the fact that I went out and tried my hardest,” Scherf said.

The race wraps up a very successful season for Scherf, one in which she won the Iona Meet of Champions and finished no lower than sixth overall in any of her races prior to nationals.

With her cross country year finished, Scherf is already looking ahead to track season. She placed fourth as a freshman in the 10,000 meters, earning all-America honors. She sees her performance at nationals as motivation.

“The next time I get on the track or the next race I’m in, I’ll be able to show what I’m really capable of,” Scherf said.

The race should also provide valuable experience as she looks ahead to her cross country future.

“This year I started putting a little bit of pressure on myself, some expectations,” Scherf said. “What works best for me is just being calm and confident.”

“I take away most from the performances where you didn’t quite achieve what you hoped,” she added.

Scherf will return to racing Dec. 3rd with the track team at Boston College.