NCAA WOMEN'S CROSS
COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW
by Mike
Scott
University of Rhode Island
Return to Poll Analysis Homepage
Weekly Review:
Northeast: Despite missing national individual
contender Cate Guiney with a strained hamstring, Boston College easily handled
the Northeast region field while Cate's sister Meg successfully defended her regional
title. Providence claimed
runner-up honors, while Brown shocked the field by snatching 3rd ahead of
Cornell, Yale, Columbia, Boston Univ., and Dartmouth. This region claims an unprecedented six at-large berths and
will be represented by eight teams and a total of 60 athletes in Furman –
including all of the first 39 finishers!
Mid-Atlantic: Had Georgetown not held out Nicole Lee,
the Hoyas would have swept the top five places at the Mid-Atlantic
regional. Instead, Georgetown had
to settle for only claiming 1-2-3-4 as Marni Kruppa and Jill Laurendeau tied
for the win. Villanova claimed 2nd
ahead of Bucknell and LaSalle. No
at-large berths were awarded to this region.
Southeast: Shalane Flanagan remained undefeated
this fall with her easy win here, but her effort wasn't quite enough as her
North Carolina teammates fell just 4 points short of upsetting their NC State
archrivals. Virginia finished 3rd
well ahead of James Madison and Duke; only Virginia claimed an at-large berth.
Great Lakes: Michigan State dominated the Great
Lakes, while Notre Dame edged past Marquette to claim the 2nd auto spot. Toledo also downed Wisconsin to claim
4th in the regional ahead of Wisconsin.
The Badger's Bethany Brewster edged Notre Dame frosh standout Lauren King
for the win. Only Marquette
received an at-large invitation.
Midwest: Oklahoma State ran away with the
Midwest, with Minnesota claiming runner-up honors ahead of surprising Loyola
and SW Missouri squads. The
Cowgirls' Siri Alfheim took the individual win by 9 seconds over Kansas State's
Amy Mortimer. The Midwest received
no at-large berths.
South Central: As expected, Arkansas was the class of
the field at the South Central regional.
Texas grabbed the 2nd auto spot ahead of Baylor and Texas A&M. Arkansas' Andreina Byrd won with a
3-second margin over SMU's Karina VanRooyen. The South Central region received no at-large berths.
Mountain: Brigham Young continues its quest for a
3rd national title in 5 years by using a 28-second 1-5 spread to claim the
Mountain region over defending National Champs Colorado. Northern Arizona took 3rd ahead of
Colorado State; both received at-large berths. NCAA indoor 5000 champ Jodie Hughes' win here demonstrated
that she's recovered from the achilles tendonitis that caused her to miss
Pre-NCAAs.
West: Top-rated Stanford powered away from
the field to win the West, while Arizona narrowly edged Arizona State for
runner-up honors. Washington
claimed a clear 4th ahead of UCLA, but Arizona State, Washington, and UCLA all
received at-large invitations. In
the individual race, hometown hero Tara Chaplin turned the tables on PAC-10
champ Lauren Fleshman by taking the West region title, with a resurging Lisa
Aguilera claiming 3rd. National
favorite Sabrino Monro continues to struggle with her foot injury, limping home
in 24th to help secure her team's advancement on to the NCAA champs.
South: Georgia Tech's Renee Metivier ran away
with the South region to lead her teammates to the district crown. South Florida claimed runner-up honors
– and the all-important 2nd auto berth – ahead of Florida
State. The South received no
at-large berths.
Weekly Preview: The 31-team
national field lines up at Furman University's golf course at 12:15pm Monday,
November 19 to decide the individual and team national champions. Stanford and Brigham Young are expected
to repeat their epic battle over this course back in 1997, a race that saw BYU
edge the Cardinal by a mere two points.
I have compiled win/loss records for NCAA D-1 women's teams and included my take on the women's at-large selection process (NOTE: Turns out that I was dead on and correctly picked the teams).
Team rankings are from the Final Finishlynx/NCAA Division 1 Women's Cross Country Poll.
1. Stanford
The Stanford Cardinal may have only finished 3rd at the 2000 championships in Ames' cold and blustery conditions, but the 1996 national champs have so much stockpiled talent at the Farm that it's tough to bet against them. Lauren Fleshman won the outdoor 5000 title last spring, while Erin Sullivan, Victoria Chang, and newcomer Sarah Bei have combined for the last four Foot Locker titles – and Fleshman, Mariel Ettinger, and newcomer Anita Siraki have all claimed Foot Locker runner-up finishes. Stanford's recruiting class is second to none – with Bei, Siraki, and FL West region champ Alicia Craig all relocating to Palo Alto. At the 9/29 Stanford Invite, the hosts split their team over 4k and 6k races and swept the team titles. Fleshman finished 2nd over 6k, with Ettinger, Bei, Chang, and Sullivan all following within 38 seconds. Craig easily won the 4k, defeating a couple returning All-Americans in the process. Stanford looked very impressive early in the Pre-NCAA race with five athletes in the top 15; at the finish frosh Craig and Bei led the way for the Cardinal, finishing 3-4 in the Silver race with Fleshman about 16 seconds back in 9th. Ettinger (21st) and Sullivan (35th) rounded out the scoring for Stanford, giving them a 62-second 1-5 gap and a razor-thin two-point win over BYU. The Cardinal then dominated the field at PAC-10s – outscoring the entire rest of the conference with a mere 27-point total. Fleshman rebounded from an "off" day at Pre-NCAAs to score a come-from-behind victory to win the individual crown, with Bei claiming runner-up honors. Craig, Ettinger, and Sullivan rounded out the scoring and gave Stanford a strong 65-second 1-5 spread. The Cardinal showed the same 65-second spread at the West regional as they ran away with the regional title. For Stanford to win in Furman, they will need to tighten up their spread; it's conceivable that they could put Fleshman, Bei, and Craig in front of BYU's first runner and still lose.
Returnees: Lauren Fleshman (11th, 5th; '01 5000 champ, 2nd '98 FL; 4:17, 4:39yd, 15:49), Erin Sullivan (25th, 7th '99; 1st '97 & '98 FL, '99 US Jr XC Champ; 9:36, 16:22, 34:47), Mariel Ettinger (96th, 217th '99; 2nd '97 FL; 16:43), Victoria Chang (217th; 1st '99 FL; 16:44), Caroline Annis (40th '98), Malinda Elmore (4:18), Laura Turner (10:16, 16:35)
Newcomers: Sara Bei (FL champ, 4:47.77yd, 9:39.29, 10:14.51yd), Anita Siraki (2nd FL, 4:46.35yd, 9:30.82, 10:12.48yd), Alicia Craig (20th FL, WXC, 4:46.73yd, 10:37.55yd)
2. Brigham Young
If you think the 1997 and 1999 national titlests are a little down this year, you would be mistaken. '99 10k champ Tara Northcutt leads the Cougars this fall and is joined up front by New Orleans transfer Michaela Manova – last fall's Sun Belt champ – and South Dakota transfer Jessie Kindschi. Lindsey Thomsen, the team leader for most of last fall, has struggled this fall and missed training time but appears to be getting things together as the championship season progresses. The Cougars dominated the open race at the Great Race of the Great Bay meet, but despite an individual win by Northcutt at the Great American meet, BYU (without likely top-5 runners Manova, Sarah Ellett and Nan Evans) fell to North Carolina State. The following weekend, BYU ran a mostly "B" team squad at the Stanford Invite with Manova looking impressive in her debut as a Cougar – finishing second to Stanford's Alicia Craig. At Pre-NCAAs, BYU parlayed a 47-second 1-5 gap off of Northcutt's 5th-place finish into a strong second only two points back of Stanford's win. The Cougars maintained this tight pack running at the Mountain West champs, with Northcutt leading Manova, Thompson, Taylor, and Kindschie to a 13-second 1-5 gap and placing all 5 scorers among the top 6 finishers. Competing against a resurging Colorado squad at the Mountain regional, BYU still maintained a 28-second 1-5 spread – despite an off day by Manova, who finished 16-seconds back of the Cougar's fifth runner. BYU's strength is their tight, six-deep pack off top-5 contender Northcutt.
Returnees: Tara Northcutt (18th, 17th '99; '00 10k champ; 33:37), Katie Martin (55th; 10:29sc), Sarah Ellett (94th; 55th '98; 34:38), Lindsey Thomsen (150th; 16:13, 34:10), Nan Evans (152nd; 9:59sc), Katie Moon (10:42sc)
Newcomer: Jessie Kindschi (28th D-2 '00), Michaela Manova (148th; transfer from New Orleans)
3. Georgetown
The Hoyas surprised many with a stellar race at Pre-NCAAs, then confirmed their status with an easy win over Boston College and Providence at Big Easts. NCAA indoor 3000 third-place finisher Marina Kruppa finished 4th in the Pre-NCAA purple race to lead a startling 27-second 1-5 gap and take Georgetown to a dominating team win in that race; in my combined team scoring, the Hoyas were about 60 points back of Stanford and BYU – a difference that may be deceiving since the silver race got out much more quickly than Georgetown's race. Backing up Kruppa are Jill Laurendeau, Nicole Lee, Erin Sicher, and Amanda Pape. At Big Easts, this group maintained an excellent 39-second 1-5 gap, then came back to sweep the first 4 places at the Mid-Atlantic regional (they sat out Lee, or they would have likely swept the regional!). Earlier this fall, the Hoyas swept 1st – 5th places at the 9/22 Mt. St Mary's Invite, then comfortably won the 9/29 Cowboy Jamboree. For Georgetown to be able to win it all, they will need to move their tight group farther up in the pack.
Returnees: Marina Kruppa (28th; 127th '99; 9:27, 16:12, 33:43), Emily Enstice (41st, 117th '99, 170th '98; 9:27), Amanda Pape (98th), Colleen Kelly (143rd), Jill Laurendeau (2:07), Erin Sicher (4:46yd, 10:57sc)
Newcomers: Jodee Adams-Moore (10:48.50yd), Nicole Lee (10:55.83yd), Kelley Otstott (4:52.92yd, 10:59.10yd)
4. North Carolina State
North Carolina State's third-rated Wolfpack placed 11th last season at NCAAs, but appear to be making a run at a trophy this fall. All Americans Katie Sabino and Christy Nichols, and Virginia Tech transfer Kristen Price (4th indoors at 3000) lead NC State in their quest; Nichols is back for her sixth season – she first earned All-American status way back in '96. The Wolfpack surprised many with a strong win over BYU and North Carolina at the Great American meet. All American Price led NC St with her 3rd-place finish, with Megan Coombs, Beth Fonner, Sabino, and Christy Nichols all finishing within 24 seconds of Price. The Wolpack sat out Nichols at Pre-NCAAs; without her NC State slipped to a distant third behind Stanford and BYU in the second race (and about 60 points behind Georgetown in my combined scoring). Price looked a little off her game, finishing as third runner for the squad. However, Nichols was sorely missed – with out her, the Wolfpack had a 22-second 1-4 gap then dropped back another 52 second to their 5th. Nichols returned to the NC State lineup at ACCs and romped to an easy win over their arch-rivals, North Carolina. Sabino finished 4th at ACCs, to lead Coombs, Price, Fonner, and Nichols to a 26-second 1-5 spread. Price stepped up to lead the pack at the Southeast regional (run on the national's course at Furman), but the Wolfpack narrowly held off a resurging North Carolina squad with Nichols missing from the lineup.
Returnees: Katie Sabino (36th, 35th '99, 67th '98; 8th NCAA steeple; 9:22, 16:22, 10:05sc), Beth Fonner (101st, 160th '99; 16:49), Beth Kraft (117th, 17:06), Diana Henderson (141st, 34:58), Erin Swain (200th), Jennifer Modliszewski, Lindsey Rogers (41st '98; 16:33), Meegan Coombs (203rd '99; 10:28sc, 16:48), Christy Nichols (13th '99, '96 All American)
Newcomers: Kristin Price (VaTech, 4th ind 3000; 9:18, 15:55), Kara Price (11:10sc), Abigail Nelkie (10:50.84yd)
5. Boston College
The Eagles return their entire top seven from a squad that finished fourth at the 2000 championships. Twins Megan and Cate Guiney have led BC all season, but Cate missed regionals and will miss nationals due to a strained adductor muscle and tendonitis. The Guiney twins are joined by fellow All-American Katie Ryan. Jennifer Kramer, Julie Spolidoro, Sharon Van Tuyl, and Laura Smith also return, while Foot Locker finalist Maria Cicero joins the Eagles in their pursuit of a national crown. Running without Cate Guiney, Ryan, Smith, and Spolidoro, BC opened with a loss to Providence despite an individual win by frosh Cicero. However, BC showed their hand when they dominated the 9/29 Meet of Champions; the Guiney twins finished 1-2 at Van Cortlandt – with Cate running away to a 38-second victory margin over sister Meg; Cicero was close behind in 4th, with Ryan 9th and Smith 15th. BC's 1-5 spread was a strong 72 seconds, which is impressive considering that Cate ran 22-secs faster than sister Meg did while winning last year's NE regional a week prior to claiming 13th at NCAAs. At Pre-NCAAs, the Eagles looked impressive – through three runners – with Cate running an outstanding race that saw her catch what appeared to be a fading Sabrina Monro at about 2.5 miles and surge into a 25m lead. Monro was able to reel her in over the final kilo, but Cate still impressed. Meg finished 8th, with Cicero just behind. However, normal 4-5 runners Ryan and Smith struggled at Furman and finished way back. The Eagles also lacked depth at the Big East meet; despite a 1-3 finish from Cate and Meg, BC finished well behind Georgetown. After Big Easts, Cate worsened an injury that had been plaguing her all season and had to watch while her sister successfully defended her regional title and led her teammates to an easy win. Without Cate running, the Eagles would have to have a near perfect race from the rest of the squad to have a shot at claiming a trophy in Greenville.
Returnees: Megan Guiney (13th, 220th '99; 9:29, 16:25), Katie Ryan (24th; 9:27), Catherine Guiney (34th, 167th '99), Jennifer Kramer (97th), Julie Spolidoro (120th; 10:36sc), Sharon Van Tuyl (128th), Laura Smith (151st; 4:47yd), Jennifer Donovan (10:25sc)
Newcomers: Maria Cicero (13th FL, 4:48.10yd, 10:20.68yd), Melissa Sherman (2:11.82)
6. Colorado
Despite the graduation of individual NCAA harrier champion Kara Grgas-Wheeler's, the Colorado Buffalos are still highly ranked and considered an outside shot to repeat as NCAA champions. Sara Gorton, Jodie Hughes, Lesley Higgins, Tera Moody, Catherine Wright, and Jen Fazoli all returned from last fall's national championships squad, but Coach Mark Wetmore announced just prior to regionals that he would redshirt Gorton, 8th last fall as a frosh, who appears to have recovered from a plantar tear suffered last spring but was then diagnosed with mono the Tuesday prior to Pre-NCAA. Jodie Hughes, surprise winner of the indoor NCAA 5000, missed the Pre-NCAA meet while recovering from achillies tendonitis. In their absence Molly Austin, 5th in the 10,000 at the NCAA outdoor championships in Eugene, has really stepped things up this fall and won the 1st race at Pre-NCAAs. Moody, Higgins, Florida-transfer Hilary White, and Natalie Florence rounded out the Colorado's scorers in Furman, giving the Buffs a 1:42 1-5 gap and dropping them to fourth in their race. With Hughes back in the lineup, the Buffalos dominated the Big 12 meet with Austin winning and the team showing a 70-sec 1-5 gap. Colorado was unable to overcome BYU's tight pack at the Mountain regional and fell to the Cougars despite a surprising individual win by Hughes. Without Gorton, the Buffs will have a very tough time defending their team title and will need excellent races from Moody, Higgins, Florence, and White to challenge for a trophy.
Returnees: Sara Gorton (8th; 4:34yd, 9:11), Jodie Hughes (30th, 187th '99; 9:29, 16:02, 33:25), Lesley Higgins (52nd, 204th '99; 4:42yd, 9:34, 10:17sc), Tera Moody (71st, 118th '99), Catherine Wright (104th, 69th '99), Jen Fazioli (252nd, 127th '98), Molly Austin (5th 10k; 34:28), Kendal Grgas-Wheeler (11:03sc)
Newcomers: Hilary White (transfer from Fl; 11:08sc)
7. Michigan State
The Spartans failed to advance to the Show in 2000, but not only appear to be ready to claim a berth this fall but have a shot at a trophy. Michigan State swept the top eight places at the 8/31 Grand Valley Open, then easily won their own 9/21 Spartan Invite behind the individual win of Anne Sommerville. Sommerville led her teammates again at Griak, where Michigan State finished an excellent fifth. NCAA 10k qualifier Michelle Carson stepped up to finish only 8 seconds back of her teammate. At Pre-NCAAs, the Spartans really stepped things up – Carson finished fifth in the 1st race, followed by Jamie Krzyminski, Somerville, Katie Anderson, and Cindy Durocher – downing, among others the Arizona State team that simply left them in the dust at Griak. Michigan State had a 69-second 1-5 gap at Furman. The Spartans tightened the gap at Big Tens, running a 43-sec 1-5 gap to win easily over a surprising Michigan team and Wisconsin. Their pack spread out a bit (64 seconds) at the Great Lakes regional, but they easily dominated the regional.
Returnees: Anne Sommerville (27th, 125th '99; 9:33, 10:27sc, 16:35), Cindy Durocher (62nd '99), Michelle Carson (34:29), Jamie Krzyminski, Sarah Pepera
8. North Carolina
Shalane Flanagan proved last year that she's as good as any runner in the country and is joined by all seven of her teammates from last fall's 12th-place NCAA squad. '99 FL runner up Victoria Jackson struggled early last fall with injuries, but rallied to run third for the squad at NCAAs. Newcomers Erin Donohue (the prep mile leader), Carol Henry (Canadian junior team), and Villanova transfer Liz Awtrey have all make an immediate impact this fall. UNC's first real challenge was at the Great American meet, where sans Flanagan they finished third behind NC State and BYU. Newcomer Henry ran well to finish second overall behind only BYU's Northcutt, while Awtrey finished 7th overall. Flanagan and Henry ran together at the 9/29 UNC Challenge as UNC placed 5 among the first 6 collegians. The Tar Heels ran a "B" team at Pre-NCAAs, with only Awtrey and Donohue running in Furman. Flanagan and Henry led an A squad in Michigan the following day to dominate the Wolverine Interregional. Flanagan won again at ACCs, but her squad was unable to overcome a deep NC State squad and had to settle for runner-up honors. Flanagan ran away with the Southeast regional – tying Sabrino Monro's course record set earlier this spring – and her teammates fell just short of upsetting an understrength NC State squad despite an off day by Awtrey. While not precise, inserting UNC's SE regional performances into the Pre-NCAA combined scoring puts the Tarheels 5th behind Stanford, BYU, Georgetown, and NC State; a better race by Awtrey moves them up to challenge Georgetown for 3rd.
Returnees: Shalane Flanagan (4th; '00 USA Jr XC Champ; 4:18,
4:35yd; 9:33, 16:29), Kim Timberlake (73rd; 159th '99, 142nd '98; 10:40sc),
Victoria Jackson (99th; 2nd '99 FL), Beth George (121st; 4:23), Rebecca Walker
(162nd, '98th '99, 209th '98), Bobbie Munson (244th; 2:04), Jennie Sucher
(246th)
Newcomers: Erin Donohue (2:08.87,
4:42.96yd, 10:37.52yd), Carol Henry (4:17.67, 9:29), Liz Awtrey (65th, 55th
'99; trans from Villanova; 10:26sc), Nicole Boykin (11.01.94yd)
9. Arizona
The Wildcats return a strong crew from last fall's 19th-place squad including perennial contender Tara Chaplin. Former Boise State 10k All-American Abby Peters is expected to bolster Arizona's lineup, but didn't appear until PAC-10s when she had to drop out due the extreme heat. The Wildcats finished third at Griak behind Arizona State and Providence. Chaplin led the squad with her 4th place effort. Arizona easily won the 10/6 Murray Keating Invite, putting their five scorers among the first seven finishers. Arizona was scheduled to race Pre-NCAAs, but after two major cross country trips in two weeks the squad was sick so Coach Murray left the women at home. The Wildcats rebounded well at PAC-10s, grabbing 2nd behind Stanford but ahead of Arizona State. Chaplin led for much of the conference race before getting run down late by Stanford's Lauren Fleshman and Sarah Bei, with Hoge, Doherty, Burris, and Bates rounding out the scoring. Chaplin held on for the win at regionals and – with the addition of Peters to the scoring squad – managed to hold off Arizona State for second behind Stanford.
34:38), Jennifer Burris (122nd, 158th '99), Erin Doherty (179th; 145th '99; 4:19), Nicole Gurnicz (183th; 10:21sc), Kim Bates (199th, 225th '99), Beth Hoge (243rd; 16:37)
Newcomers: Abby Peters (91st '99; transfer from Boise St), Amber Steen (4:28.00, 4:45.35yd, 10:29.85yd)
10. Arizona State
Lisa Aguilera finished fifth last fall in Ames to lead her Arizona State squad to a sixth-place team finish. Joining Aguilera up front is '99 All America Kelly McDonald, who redshirted last fall but claimed third in the inaugural collegiate steeple. Aguilera and McDonald, arguably one of the top 1-2 duos in the country, finished 2nd and 3rd respectively at the prestigious 9/29 Roy Griak Invitational to lead their teammates to a comfortable team win over a strong field including top-10 ranked Providence and Arizona. Backing up Arizona State's front-running duo up is Brianna Torres (10th at Griak). However, things unraveled a bit at Pre-NCAAs: MacDonald and Torres appeared to have off days as the Sun Devils faded to third behind Georgetown and Michigan State – the latter a team they had beaten handily at Griak. The Sun Devils also looked shaky at PAC-10s, finishing third behind Stanford and cross-state rival Arizona. Aguilera, Torres, and McDonald finished close together – only 12 seconds separated the trio – but Cody Sohn sat the meet out with a migraine so Arizona State had to wait a long time for their final two scorers to finish. Aguilera ran her best race of the season at the West regional to claim 3rd behind Chaplin and Fleshman and – along with MacDonald (6th) and Torres (9th) – led her squad to a 3rd-place finish a mere 3 points behind runner-up Arizona. Although Aguilera, MacDonald, and Torres all look like potential All-Americans, they drop back 53-seconds from 3rd to 4th runner.
Returnees: Kelly McDonald (36th '99, 134th '98; 3rd in steeple & 5000; 4:22, 9:55sc; 16:03), Lisa Aguilera (5th, 50th '99, 131st '98; 4:19, 10:08sc, 16:06), Cynthia Atencio (46th), Brianna Torres (114th; 174th '99; 12th indoor 5000; 16:33), Beth Martin (203rd), Kristin McFerron (210th), Cody Sohn (10:27sc)
Newcomer: Desiree Davilla
11. Providence
The Friars finished ninth last fall in Ames. NCAA steeple qualifier Roisin McGettigan and NCAA indoor 5000 qualifier Claire Sherman lead PC as they battle for a qualifying berth out of one of the nation's deepest regions. However, PC has lost Heather Cappello for the 2nd season in a row – this year with compartment syndrome. The Fiars opened with an easy win over New Hampshire on 9/7, then downed an understrength Boston College on 9/17. PC then claimed second at Griak behind Arizona State. The Friars easily dominated the 10/12 New England Champs, with McGettigan finishing strongly to win the race – before finishing 3rd at the Big East meet behind Georgetown and Boston College. Providence used a strong top-3 and a 47-second 1-5 gap at the Northeast regional to claim runner-up honors.
Returnees: Heather Cappello (40th '99, 154th '98; 9:22.81), Kathryn Casserly (81st, 163rd '99), Emily Tallen (102nd, 234th '99), Claire Shearman (144th, 89th '99; 16:37), Roisin McGettigan (145th, 139th '99; 4:23, 10:20sc), Lisa Cappello (180th)
Newcomers: Deirde Byrne (4:23, 9:50), Mary Cullen (9:50)
12. Arkansas
The Lady Razorbacks finished 13th in 2000 behind Lilli Kleinmann's 10th place finish; however Kleinman plans to redshirt this fall. Track find Adreina Bryd led Arkansas to a 4th-place finish at Great American behind NC State, BYU, and UNC. The Lady 'backs then finished second at the Stanford Invite 6k behind Byrd's win. Arkansas easily won their own 10/13 Chili Pepper Invite without the services of Amy Wiseman. Penny Splichal, Christin Wurth, and Londa Bevins have stepped it up this fall for the Lady 'Backs. Byrd and Wurth scored a 1-2 finish at SECs to leader the Lady 'Backs to an easy win. As expected, Arkansas dominated the South Central region with Byrd winning and her teammates featuring a 59-second 1-5 gap.
Returnees: Lilli Kleinmann (10th; 3rd '99; 4:46yd, 9:14, 10:01sc, 15:55), Christin Wurth (84th, 104th '99), Amy Wiseman (106th, 98th '98; 10:35sc), Alison Zeinner (231st), Londa Bevins (245th), Adreina Byrd (4:45yd, 9:24, 16:12)
Newcomers: Michelle Dela Vina, Laura Jackosky (5:05.82yd, 10:05.20, 10:43.74yd)
13. Northern Arizona
Susan Rutherford and Arkansas-Little Rock transfer Ida Nilsson lead a resurging Lumberjack squad that is expected to contend a berth at the NCAA meet. Nilsson and Rutherford finished 1-3 at Indiana State to lead NAU to an easy win. At Pre-NCAAs, Nilsson placed 6th in the Purple Race to lead her teammates to a 5th-place team finish. Rutherford and Hanifan both finished within 30 seconds of Nilsson, but the Lumberjack's 4th and especially the 5th runners struggled in a ways back. Northern Arizona dominated the Big Sky meet, scoring 19 points against the rest of the conference and claiming the top three individual places. At regionals, the Lumberjacks narrowly edged Colorado State for 3rd.
Returnees: Susan Rutherford (67th; 16:31), Jinny Hanifan (10:25sc), Jamie Herman (11:09sc)
Newcomer: Ida Nilsson (trans from UALR)
14. Virginia
The Cavaliers, who finished 5th in last fall's Southeast regional and were the first team to stay home from that district, opened by finishing second at their own 9/8 Lou Onesty Invite, then won the 9/22 William & Mary Invitational before finishing a credible 6th at Griak. Virginia then confirmed their strength with a 6th-place finish in the Pre-NCAAs Silver Race, 3rd at ACCs, and 3rd at the Southeast regional. Jennifer Owens – who finished 5th in Minnesota, 6th at Pre-NCAAs, and 3rd at ACCs – and Sarah Folse lead the Cavaliers.
Returnees: Jennifer Owens ('99 All American), Sarah Folse
15. Notre Dame
Rebuilding after a disappointing 8th at last fall's Great Lakes Regional, the Irish look for a trip to NCAAs in 2001. ND finished second to Marquette at the 9/21 National Catholic Invitational, then easily won the 10/5 Notre Dame Invite. Canadian junior champ Lauren King – 26th at last spring's World XC Champs – sat out the National Catholic meet, but debuted in a big way at the Notre Dame Invite, easily winning in her first collegiate attempt. King is joined by Jennifer Handley and Megan Johnson. Notre Dame claimed 11th in the Silver Race at Pre-NCAAs, then – despite an off day by King – upset Villanova to claim 4th behind Georgetown, Boston College, and Providence at Big Easts. King rebounded from her 24th-place finish at the conference meet to claim 2nd at the Great Lakes regional and help her teammates seize the 2nd auto qualifier out of that region.
Returnees: Jennifer Handley (16:40), Megan Johnson
Newcomer: Lauren King (26th WXC Jr)
16. Colorado State
The Rams finished 17th in Ames last fall. Colorado State opened with a win at their own invitational, followed by a strong fourth-place effort at Griak. Marget Larsen and Jennifer Kintzley led the Rams at Griak, with their top five splitting a mere 43-seconds in Minnesota. Colorado State's gap remained tight – 56-seconds – at Furman, where they finished 8th in the Pre-NCAA Silver race despite running without Kintzley. Kintzley was also missing from the lineup at the Mountain West meet, where the Rams finished a distant 2nd behind BYU. Still without Kintzley at the Mountain regional, Colorado State finished a mere 4 points behind 3rd-place Northern Arizona.
Returnees: Jennifer Kintzley (127th; 35:06), Marget Larson (131st; 9:35, 10:10sc), Katie Yemm (156th; 4:48yd), Kim Leal (174th), Christy Virgin (214th)
Newcomer: Andrea Beisser (from Bucknell), Colleen Blair
17. Villanova
The Wildcats return a young group from their 20th place squad and were further hurt by the transfer of Liz Awtrey to North Carolina. Newcomers Ioana Parusheva and Kalin Toedebusch led the Wildcats to a win at the Haverford Invite, then sixth at the Meet of Champions. While Renee Gunning didn't appear at the Meet of Champions, she did finish third individually at Paul Short. The frosh duo led the Wildcats again at Pre-NCAAs as their squad finished 7th with Gunning back in the lineup; Villanova had a nice 32-second 1-4 gap but needs their 5th runner to close up. The Wildcats struggled at Big Easts and finished 5th, featuring a strong 1-2-3, but a large gap back to 4 &5.
Returnees: Rebecca Mitchell (140th; 4:42yd), Renee Gunning (155th), Carre Joyce (202nd; 11:09sc)
Newcomers: Kalin Toedebusch (5:04.30yd, 10:56.60yd), Ioana Parusheva
18. Brown
The Brown Bears are the comeback kids of the 2001 season. Kim Thalmann leads five returnees from last year's squad that finished 15th in Ames, however Brown had struggled all season:. a distant 7th at the Meet of Champions, followed by a 19th-place effort in the Pre-NCAA Silver race, and 5th at HEPs. Everything changed at in a little over 20 minutes at Boston's Franklin Park on Regionals Saturday as Thalmann led a tight Bear pack that saw all five scorers – Thalmann, Angie Morey, Jenna Richardseon, Rosie Woodford, and Mary Hale -- finish within 37-seconds. This superb team effort enabled Brown to finish 3rd in the extremely deep Northeast region and advance to NCAAs on the basis of the new 4th-place rule (ie, a 4th-place regional team with enough wins will push the 3rd-place squad into the national meet).
Returnees: Kim Thalmann (37th, 56th '99; 16:39), Rosie Woodford (129th, 156th '99), Jenna Richardson (166th, 171st), Angie Morey (169th), Mary Hale (182nd)
19 (tie). Oklahoma State
The Cowgirls opened their season by downing cross-state rival Oklahoma in a 9/22 dual, then finished 2nd to Georgetown at their own Cowboy Jamboree. Ok State next finished 2nd to Arkansas at the Chili Pepper Festival, then claimed runner-up honors at the Big 12 meet behind Colorado. Siri Alfheim (a grad student from Norway) claimed runner-up honors at the conference champs behind Colorado's Molly Austin but ahead of Kansas State's Amy Mortimer. Alfheim repeated her win over Mortimer at the Midwest regional to lead the Cowgirls to the district title and an automatic berth for NCAAs.
19 (tie). Washington
The Washington Huskies, 16th in the coaches poll, return NCAA 10k qualifier Kate Bradshaw from their 23rd-place team. 2000 NCAA cross country individual runner-up Sabrina Monro, who transferred from Montana to Washington over the summer, will greatly enhance Washington's chances for a return trip to the NCAA champs. The Huskies easily dominated weak fields at Emerald City and their own Sundodger Invite. Monro confirmed her status at one of the favorites for the individual crown in November with big wins at Griak and Pre-NCAAs; newcomer Lisa Gibbs also showed that she's for real with a 6th place effort in Minnesota and a 10th-place effort in Furman. However, the Huskies dropped off rapidly after that duo with Bradshaw a minute back of Gibbs; Lisa's sister Jamie ran much better at Pre-NCAAs than at Griak as she and #5 Laura Halverson closed a bit on Gibbs. Monro dropped out at PAC-10s with a foot injury, and the Huskies lack of depth was apparent in their 5th-place finish behind not only Stanford, Arizona, and Arizona State, but also UCLA – a team they had beaten three times this season. Monro returned to the Huskies lineup at the West regional, but her less-than-perfect status was apparent in her 24th-place finish; however, this was enough to help the Huskies claim 4th behind Stanford, Arizona, and Arizona State.
Returnees: Kate Bradshaw (89th, 128th '99, 16:38, 33:35), Liza English (223rd), Susan Werner (247th), Kate Spigel (249th; 11:09sc)
Newcomers: Sabrina Monro (2nd; transfer from Montana; 4:43yd, 9:14), Camille Connelly (11:03.90yd), Lindsey Egerdahl (5:05.85), Lisa Gibbs (5:03yd, 10:59yd), Jamie Gibbs (5:13yd, 11:30yd), Laura Halverson (5:03.16m; Wa "A" prep xc champ)
21. Marquette
The Golden Eagles claimed 27th at the 2000 NCAA Championships and are led by Brianna Dahm, Jessie Swan, and Susan Barth. Marquette won the 9/8 Bradley Invite and the 9/21 National Catholic meet, finished 9th at Griak, then claimed 10th in the Pre-NCAA Silver race. At the Conference USA meet, the Golden Eagles easily downed South Florida for the loop title. Notre Dame edged them for the 2nd auto spot at the Great Lakes regional, but Marquette will gain an at-large berth.
Returnees: Susan Barth (68th; 34:42), Bethany Harry (92nd; 10:46sc), Brianna Dahm (205th; 10:36sc), Jessie Swan (209th), Audrey Schilts (221st), Jamie Haro, Beth Harry (10:46sc)
22. Cornell
Looking to return to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 1998, Cornell stepped things up with a 3rd-place effort at the Meet of Champions behind Boston College and Boston University. Lena Matthews leads a Cornell squad that features a tightly-bunched 2-3-4 runners, with a fifth trailing about 30-seconds back. At Pre-NCAAs, the Big Red finished a strong 8th at the Pre-NCAAs Purple race followed by a 2nd-place effort behind Yale at HEPs. Felled by a shocking Brown squad at the Northeast regional, Cornell finished 4th overall with an excellent 26-second 1-5 spread.
23. James Madison (NON QUALIFIER)
The Dukes finished 2nd to Virginia at the William & Mary Invite and 10th at Griak, then won the Penn State Invite by a comfortable margin over the hosts. Mollie Defrancesco and Cindy Dunham lead JMU, which featured a 33-second 1-5 gap at Penn State. The Dukes won comfortably at the Colonial AA champs, with Defrancisco and Dunham claiming the top two places in the conference. JMU then claimed 4th in the Southeast regional and will stay at home since they failed to accumulate enough out-of-region wins.
24. Georgia Tech
The Rambling Wreck finished 31st last fall in Ames. Sophomore Renee Metivier finished 7th individually at Griak to lead her teammates to a 14th place finish in Minnesota. Georgia Tech won the 10/6 Georgia Intercollegiates prior to finishing 10th in the Pre-NCAA Purple Race; Metivier grabbed runner-up honors at Furman. Metivier claimed runner-up honors at ACCs as her team finished 4th behind NC State, UNC, and Virginia. Metivier ran away with the South region to lead her teammates to the district crown.
Returnees: Renee Metivier (123rd; 10:22sc), Amy Dock (135th; 16:37, 35:09), Sara Pardue (207th), Amy Edwards (226th), Eboni Crosby (228th), Betsy Bulat (242nd), Ashley Espy (251st)
25. Yale
All-American twins Kate and Laura O'Neill led Yale to a surprise seventh place finish in Ames. The Bulldogs return 4 out of their top 5, and 5 of their top seven from last fall. However, Yale could only manage fourth at the 9/29 Meet of Champions behind Boston College, Boston University, and Cornell – even with all five returnees from last fall's champs running. The Bulldogs downed Princeton and Harvard at the 10/6 HYP meet, then finished 9th in the Pre-NCAA Silver race. Yale then won a tight HEPs race over Cornell, but faded to 5th at the Northeast regional behind BC, Providence, a surprising Brown squad, and Cornell.
Returnees: Kate O'Neill (31st; 9:28, 16:10), Laura O'Neill (32nd; 16:26; 34:49), Lindsay Mitchell (107th; 10:38sc), Amanda Brewster (154th; 17:20), Rebecca Hunter (185th; 4:33)
Newcomers: Susan Chan (5:04.73yd, 10:52), Vamessa Mazandi (2:13.90), Mary Kuhn, Anne Martin
26. UCLA
Trying to put a subpar 2000 season behind them, freshman Alejandra Barrientos and veteran Elaine Canchola lead a young Bruin squad. The Bruins finished 2nd to Stanford at the CS Fullerton Invite and to Washington at the 9/22 Sundodger Invite, then 8th at Griak – again just behind the Huskies. At Pre-NCAAs, UCLA finished 7th in the Purple race then claimed 4th at PAC-10s behind Stanford, Arizona, and Arizona State – but ahead of Washington, a team that had beaten them three times this season. UCLA struggled at regionals, but still claimed 5th beind Stanford, Arizona, Arizona State, and Washington State.
27. Minnesota
The Gophers finished 26th in Ames and are led this year by sophomore Darja Vasiljeva, last season's Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Minnesota was unable to defend their title at the Griak Invite, slipping back to 12th. The Gophers then claimed 14th in the Pre-NCAA Silver race and 4th at Big Tens.
Returnees: Darja Vasilijeva (46th), Anita Menden (165th), Victoria Moses (184th, 188th '99; 10:51sc), Krista Anderson (227)
28. Toledo
Petra Teveli and Briana Shook lead the Rockets. Toledo opened by sweeping the top five spots at the 9/1 Eastern Michigan Invite. The Rockets then finished 19th at Griak, 2nd to Kent State at the 10/5 All-Ohio Champs, and 13th in the Pre-NCAA Silver race. Spurred on by Briana Shook's individual title, Toledo edged Ball State for the Rockets' 1st ever MAC team title. Toledo continued their success at the Great Lakes regional, claiming 4th behind Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Marquette.
Returnees: Briana Shook (9:53, 17:18), Sara Vergote (10:04, 17:32), Jodi Harrington (4:37, 9:55), Emily Gora (10:14), Katherine Smyth (9:57, 17:09), Abby Phillips (10:31, 18:00), Bonnie Stewart (18:17), Lindsey Misejka (18:19)
Newcomers: Jessica Kraft (4:56 1600, 10:51 3200), Petra Teveli (9:58, 16:56, 35:22), Ebba Stenback (9:50, 6:43 2k sc), Chris Tye (17:44; 2nd World Mtn Racing Champs)
29. Duke (NON QUALIFIER)
The Blue Devils finished 24th in Ames. Sheela Agrawal finished seventh individually at last year's NCAAs as a sophomore, but will redshirt this fall. Without Agrawal, Duke won the 9/8 Fordham Inv, finished fifth at Great American behind NC State, BYU, UNC, and Arkansas, and placed a distant 15th at Griak. The Blue Devils regrouped for Pre-NCAAs to claim 6th in the Silver race, with newcomer Paige Miller leading the squad to a 44-second 1-5 gap. Duke could only muster a 5th at ACCs behind NC State, UNC, Virginia, and Georgia Tech, then repeated this placing at the Southeast regional behind NC State, UNC, Virginia, and JMU. Unfortunately, JMU didn't have enough wins and blocked Duke from advancing to the NCAA meet.
Returnees: Sheela Agrawal (7th, 28th '99; 9:23), Katie Atlas (149th; 241st '99; 2:08, 4:43yd), Maddy Woodmansee (195th, 166th '99), Lisa Nagorny (211th), Laura Schmid (222nd), Alison Hofman (237th), Coleen Howard (11:14sc)
Newcomers: Pheobe Ko (10:58.80yd), Paige Miller (5:02.39yd, 9:53.19, 10:43.01yd)
30 (tie). Weber State (NON QUALIFIER)
NCAA steeple runner-up Rebecca Bennion was expected to lead the Wildcat squad that finished 22nd in Ames, but Bennion has yet to appear this fall. Weber downed Utah St, Idaho State, and Utah on 9/1 at IdSt, but only managed a 17th place finish at Griak – where they displayed an amazing 14-second 1-5 spread – unfortunately, their lead runner could only finish 78th. The Wildcats finished 21st in the Pre-NCAA Silver race, 2nd at the Big Sky meet, and 5th at the Mountain regional, but had no out-of-region wins and will miss the NCAA champs.
Returnees: Rebecca Bennion (33rd; SC runner-up; 4:21, 9:54sc, 16:07), Genny Minoch (105th), Rachel Bennion (167th; 11:01sc), Cynthia Losee (168th), Danielle Blaisell (177th), Janae Johnson (201st; 10:59sc), Ashley Winter
Newcomers: Heidi Bouwhuis (10:46.94 yd)
30 (tie). Wisconsin (NON QUALIFIER)
Wisconsin returns 1999 NCAA harrier champ Erica Palmer from last year's eighth place squad, but their Media Relations Office confirmed to a colleague of mine that she'll redshirt this fall as she recovers from an injury that kept her out during the spring season. Bethany Brewster joined Palmer leading early in last fall's championship race and held on to claim ninth. Brewster finished fourth in the 4k at the Stanford Invite to lead her teammates to third behind the hosts and BYU. Brewster once again led her teammates at the Wolverine Interregional, this time claiming a distant second to UNC's Flanagan as her team matched her individual finish. Brewster won the Big Ten meet, but – despite the appearance of Liz Reusser – her teammates could only must 3rd behind Michigan State and a surprising Michigan squad. Brewster won the Great Lakes regional, but will be the lone Badger at the NCAA champs.
Returnees: Erica Palmer (3rd, 1st '99; 9:13, 16:09), Bethany Brewster (9th; 54th '99, 62nd '98; 3rd indoor 3000; 4:22, 4:42yd, 9:16), Liz Reusser (112th; 112th '99; 16:29), Michelle Lilienthal (113th; 16:47, 34:42), Hilary Edmundson (161st), Leslie Patterson (193rd)
Newcomers: Linsey Blaisdell (16th FL, 5:00.03yd)
--. Boston University (Northeast)
BU finished 18th in 1999, but missed advancing to Ames by amassing just one more point than Columbia at last year's regional. NCAA individual qualifier Bolpar Vinh is expected to lead the Terriers, while BYU transfer Sherida (nee Rodgers) Bird will make an immediate impact. BU comfortably won it's own 9/15 invite over a field of unranked teams before claiming second at the 9/29 Meet of Champions. Rachel Felton and Vinh led the Terriers to an excellent 34-second 1-5 spread at Van Cortlandt. At Pre-NCAAs, Bird led BU to 9th in the Purple race while Vinh had an off day and ran 5th for the team. The Terriers next won the American East loop title in a cakewalk, then tied Columbia for 6th at the Northeast regionals – but lost out on the tie-breaker. Still, BU accumulated enough out-of-region wins to advance to NCAAs.
Returnees: Bolpar Vinh (80th, 99th '99; 9:59), Rachel Felton (4:18, 4:45yd), Kathy Ireland (4:48yd, 9:25, 16:22), Jennifer Kehoe (4:26, 9:42), Lauren Matthews (17:22, 35:07)
Transfer: Sherida (Rodgers) Bird (transfer from BYU; 9:27.76), Dina Mijuskovic (Croatia; 4:36, 9:58)
--. Columbia
The Lions returned all seven runners from their 25th place squad in Ames. Columbia finished back in 11th at Griak, but scored some important wins over potential auto qualifiers Minnesota and Georgia Tech. The Lions also finished 11th in the Pre-NCAAs Purple race, then third at HEPs, and tied Boston Univ. for 6th at the Northeast regional (but get the nod on tie breakers); the Lions have enough out-of-regions to advance to NCAAs. Caitlin Hicklin is running well for the Lions, claiming runner-up honors at Heps and 4th at regionals.
Returnees: Caitlin Hicklin (90th), Haley Acre (134th), Lauren Harrison (136th), Melissa Stellato (164th), Erin Raggio (206th), Ali Nicolas (239th), Liz Burke (250th)
Newcomers: Laurel Gordon (11:04.48), Loretta Kilmer (10:50.66), Caryn Waterson (2:13.15)
--. Dartmouth (Northeast)
Laura Neill and Jessie Allen-Young lead the Big Green, which finished 5th at the Meet of Champions. Dartmouth then finished 12th in the Pre-NCAA Silver race and 4th at HEPs before placing 8th at the Northeast regionals. Dartmouth then shocked the rest of the country by claiming the 13th and final at-large berth (and an unprecedented eighth team from one region) for the NCAA champs – primarily on the basis of three earlier wins over Brown, plus Villanova and Minnesota.
--. South Florida (South)
The Bulls finished 30th in 2000. South Florida opened with a win at the Mountaineer Invite, then followed that up with a win at the 9/22 Florida Intercollegiates. The Bulls claimed 13th in the Pre-NCAA Purple race, then finished 2nd behind Marquette at the Conference USA meet. South Florida locked up a return trip to NCAAs by claiming the 2nd auto berth at the South regional.
Returnees: Tara Quinn (157th; 34:25), Cori Kill (173rd, 211th '99), Nicole McCarthy (181st, 232nd '99), Tiffany Quinn (212th), Kristy Fuller (215th, 238th '99), Jennifer Walczuk (233rd)
--. Texas (South Central)
The Longhorns opened their season at their own Texas Collegiate Invitational with a narrow win over Rice. Texas then claimed 18th in the Pre-NCAA purple race and followed that up with a 3rd-placed effort at Big 12s behind Colorado and Oklahoma St. Emily Field leads the Longhorns this fall, notching a win at the Texas Collegiate Inv, an excellent 9th at Pre-NCAAs, and 14th at Big 12s. Erin Sims, a former NCAA 1500 finalist, finally seems to be getting her legs under her and finished 15th at Big 12s. Field and Sims again led Texas at the South Central region as the Longhorns claimed the 2nd auto qualifier and advance to Furman.
Injury and illness is a major factor in the top ranks of contenders for the women's individual crown.
Washington's Sabrina Monro claimed runner-up honors at the last fall's NCAA meet and is the top returnee. Early this fall she set a new course record of 20:26 over the Furman course enroute to winning the Pre-NCAA Silver race. A foot injury has recently hobbled the Husky star; she dropped out around two miles into the PAC-10 race then struggled in 24th at the West regional. However, if she's able to run she'll remains a potent threat.
Boston College's Cate Guiney, the Big East champion, challenged Monro in the Pre-NCAA Silver race and pushed her all the way to the finish. However, the Eagle junior strained her adductor muscle during a workout after the Big East meet, sat out the Northeast regional, and will miss the NCAA meet.
Two other major contenders felled this fall by health problems are Wisconsin's Erica Palmer, the '99 NCAA individual champ, and Colorado's Sara Gorton, 8th last fall as a frosh. Palmer has reportedly struggled with lower leg problems that surgery hasn't seemed to heal, while Gorton successfully recovered from a plantar tear suffered last spring only to be laid low by mono. Both runners will be sitting out this year's collegiate championships race.
Now on to the healthy contenders:
North Carolina's Shalane Flanagan is undefeated and has scored run-away victories this autumn at the Wolverine Interregional, ACC championships, and Southeast regional. The Tarheel sophomore tied Monro's Furman course record of 20:26 at the regional meet.
PAC-10 individual champ Lauren Fleshman has repeatedly shown that she can peak for the big races, running her best races of her 1st two harrier seasons at the NCAA meet and winning last spring's collegiate 5000 title. Her Stanford teammates Sara Bei, the 2000 Foot Locker champ, and Alicia Craig, the top American at the 2001 World Cross Country Championships, should also be among the leaders.
Arizona's Tara Chaplin ran away from Fleshman to take the West regional title, while Arizona State's Lisa Aguilera 3rd-place regional finish shows that she's regained the form that led her to a 5th-place individual finish last fall.
Colorado's Molly Austin and Jodie Hughes will make a run at reclaiming the NCAA harrier crown that former teammate Kara Grgas-Wheeler won last year in Ames. Austin won the Pre-NCAA purple race and the Big 12 champs, while Hughes, the indoor NCAA 5000 champ, sat out the Pre-NCAA meet with achillies tendonitis. Hughes returned for Big12s and finished 4th, then surprised with a win at the Mountain regional.
Georgia Tech's Renee Metivier has been running with the best in the country all fall, finishing 7th at Griak, 2nd in the Pre-NCAA Purple race and at ACCs, then running away with the South regional title.
Arkansas' Andreina Byrd has notched strong wins at the Stanford Invitational, SECs, and South Central regional
Marni Kruppa finished 4th in the Pre-NCAA purple race, 2nd at Big Easts, then tied teammate Jill Laurendeau for the Mid-Atlantic regional title.
BYU's Tara Northcutt won the 2000 NCAA 10,000m title and appears to be in the best shape of her life.
Wisconsin's Bethany Brewster, 9th at last fall's NCAA champs, took the Big Ten crown and the Great Lakes regional title.
Out of the Midwest, Oklahoma State's Siri Alfheim and Kansas
State's Amy Mortimer are running quite well. Alfheim edged the Wildcat at Big
12s and the regional, while Mortimer, who finished 6th at last fall's NCAAs,
claimed 3rd at Big 12s and 2nd at regionals.
Virginia's Jennifer Owens is on a hot streak. She claimed 6th in the sizzling Pre-NCAA silver race, 3rd at ACCs, and 3rd at the Southeast regional.
In Cate Guiney's absence, twin sister Meg and frosh teammate
Maria Cicero lead Boston College.
Meg claimed 2nd at Iona, 3rd at Big Easts, and 8th in the Pre-NCAA
silver race prior to winning the Northeast regional, while Cicero won the BC
Invite, placed 4th at Iona, 11th at Pre-NCAAs, 5th at Big Easts, and 3rd at the
regional.
All-American Contenders:
The Northeast region will be well represented at Furman with 60 runners scheduled to race in the NCAA Champs, including all of the top 39-finishers at the regional. Yale's Kate O'Neil won the HEPs title and finished a close 3rd to Meg Guiney at Iona and 12th in the Pre-NCAA silver race. Kate's twin Laura has been improving all season, finishing 12th at Iona, then 24th at Pre-NCAAs, and 3rd at HEPs. Providence College's Claire Sherman finished 6th at Big Easts and 7th at the NE regional, while teammate Roisin McGettigan won New Englands, finished 9th at Big Easts, and 9th at regionals. Boston U's Rachel Felton won the American East individual crown and finished 8th in the NE, while Columbia's Caitlin Hickin finished 10th in the Pre-NCAA purple race, earned runner-up honors at HEPs, and finished 4th at the regional.
From the Southeast, the Wolfpack's Katie Sabino, Megan Coombs, and Kristin Price should all be up front to lead NC State to a potential trophy. Price finished 3rd at Great American, 7th at ACCs, and 2nd at the regional, Sabino was 13th in the fast Pre-NCAA Silver race, 4th at ACCs, and 7th at regionals, while Coombs was 14th at Pre-NCAAs, 6th at ACCs, and 5th at regionals. UNC newcomer Carol Henry finished 4th at the Southeast regional. Liberty's Heather Sagan won the Big South conference title and 6th at regionals.
Notre Dame newcomer Lauren King opened her collegiate career with a win at the Notre Dame Invitational and followed it up with an excellent 15th-place effort in the Pre-NCAA silver race – the fastest run at Pre-NCAAs by a Great Lakes region athlete. She rebounded from an off day at the Big East meet to claim runner-up honors at the regional. Michigan State's Anne Sommerville finished only 4 seconds back of Brewster at Big Ten's to claim runner-up honors and 3rd at the Great Lakes regional. Fellow Spartan Michelle Carson placed 5th in the Pre-NCAA purple race, 4th at Big Tens, and 5th at regionals.
Southern Methodist's Karina VanRooyen claimed second at the South Central regional, just ahead of TCU's Glady Keintany, the Conference USA champion.
Backing up BYU's Northcutt is a strong five that includes 2000 Sun Belt champ Michaela Manova, last fall's top Cougar Lindsey Thompsen, Sarah Taylor, Jessie Kindschi, and Nan Evans. Northern Arizona's Ida Nilsson, the Big Sky Champ, finished 4th in the extremely competitive Mountain region.
Washington State's Everlyn Lagat has improved steadily over the season, claiming a strong 4th at the PAC-10 championships and 5th at regionals. Arizona State's Brianna Torres and Kelly MacDonald placed 9th and 10th respectively at the conference meet, then flipped order at regionals as MacDonald claimed 6th while Torres finished 9th. Washington frosh Lisa Gibbs has been running in Monro's shadow all fall, but has accumulated an excellent record including a 6th at Griak, a 10th in the Pre-NCAA silver race, 6th at PAC-10s, and 11th at regionals. Hawaii's Cheryl Smith ran away with the WAC title and finished 8th at regionals, while Santa Barbara's Katie Appenrodt took the Big West crown and finished 10th at regionals.
Georgia State's Jenn Feenstra was the South region runner-up