BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - There's a first time for everything.

Jordan Jennewine placed fifth-overall and five Buckeyes placed in the top 35 as the Ohio State women's cross country team clinched its first ever trip to the NCAA championships with a second-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes regional finals Saturday.

"I have never been more proud of a team that I have coached," Ohio State distance coach Chris Neal said after the race. "These girls worked hard all year knowing that it would pay off. Today, our team was at its best."

Two weeks after taking 12th at the conference meet, Jennewine picked up where she left off, cruising to a 6k finishing time of 21:03.56, a 138-spot improvement from her 2008 regional finish.

Sarah Foster, the Buckeyes' top runner at the regional meet a season ago, took 14th in a time of 21:31:36, a 14-spot improvement from 2008. Junior Ellen Birmingham completed a 62-spot improvement with her 22nd-place run of 21:41.70.

A pair of Buckeye newcomers secured the runner-up spot for Ohio State. Senior Katie Williams, the 2009 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner for cross country, took 29th in 21:56.09, while freshman Victoria Brink finished 33rd in 22:01.36 -- Williams finished 39th at the 2007 regional meet as a student-athlete at Michigan. Ashley Chirco (67th, 22:33.59) and Sarah Lowe (100th, 23:02.85) rounded out the Buckeye effort.

"Jordan led the way for us, but we got solid efforts from all of the girls," Neal said. "Tori [Brink] especially gave us the strong fifth runner we have been looking for.

"All week we talked about how hard it was to be the first at anything, but if you are the first that is something that cannot be taken from you," Neal continued. "This team is now the first women's cross country team to qualify for a national championship wearing an OSU singlet - I am proud to be their coach!"

The Buckeyes will compete at the NCAA championships Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind.