NCAA WOMEN'S CROSS
COUNTRY REGIONAL PREVIEW
by Mike
Scott
University of Rhode Island
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The Scene: Collegiate teams will compete at nine regional qualifying meets held nationally on Saturday, Nov. 10 to determine the 31-team NCAA Championships on Monday, Nov. 19 at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. The top two team finishers and top four individuals (from non-qualifying teams) from each regional advance automatically. An additional 13 teams and two individuals will be selected two days later, Monday, Nov., 12 based on their regional finishes and head-to-head records against other NCAA qualifiers and potential qualifiers.
I have compiled win/loss records for NCAA D-1 women's teams. They are updated through October 29 and should include all meets that will influence the at-large selection process.
Team rankings are from the October 30 Finishlynx/NCAA Division 1 Women's Cross Country Poll.
Northeast Regional (Franklin Park, Boston,
MA)
With the ability to put three runners in the top 5 overall, Boston College should run away with this regional. Providence College would appear to be the favorite for the 2nd auto berth out of this loaded region, but should not be complacent with the likes of Yale, Cornell, Boston University, Columbia, and Dartmouth in the field. The Northeast region is likely to get four at large berths for the NCAA meet – PC, Yale, Cornell, Boston U, and Columbia all have enough wins over likely NCAA qualifying teams – and I can foresee a scenario in which Dartmouth could also advance.
5. Boston College (Northeast)
The Eagles return their entire top seven from a squad that finished fourth at the 2000 championships. Twins Megan and Cate Guiney lead BC in pursuit of a national title and are joined by fellow All-American Katie Ryan. Jennifer Kramer, Julie Spolidoro, Sharon Van Tuyl, and Laura Smith also return. Foot Locker finalist Maria Cicero and Mass. prep standout Melissa Sherman join the Eagles in their pursuit of a national crown. Running without Cate Guiney, Ryan, Smith, and Spolidoro, BC opened with a loss to a slightly understrength Providence squad despite an individual win by frosh Cicero. Surprisingly, Meg Guiney faded to third over the final kilo after leading much of the race. However, BC showed why they are considered a contender for the NCAA crown 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. If BC is able to regroup and put together the effort they showed at Meet of Champions, they move into contention for the team.
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)
10. Providence (Northeast)
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.
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)
15. Yale (Northeast)
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.
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
22. Cornell (Northeast)
Looking to make a return trip to NCAAs 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.
28. 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 then won the American East loop title in a cakewalk.
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 (Northeast)
The Lions returned all seven runners from their 25th place squad in Ames. A frosh squad finished 3rd at the 9/8 Fordham Inv. The varsity squad finished back in 11th at Griak, but scored some important wins over potential auto qualifiers Minnesota, Missouri, and Georgia Tech. The Lions finished 11th in the Pre-NCAAs Purple race, then third at HEPs.
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 leads 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.
--. Brown (Northeast)
Kim Thalmann leads five returnees from last year's squad that finished 15th in Ames. Brown's freshman dominated the field at the 9/8 CCRI invite. The varsity could only manage a distant 7th at the Meet of Champions, followed by a 19th-place effort in the Pre-NCAA Silver race, and 5th at HEPs.
Returnees: Kim Thalmann (37th, 56th '99; 16:39), Rosie Woodford (129th, 156th '99), Jenna Richardson (166th, 171st), Angie Morey (169th), Mary Hale (182nd)
The clear favorite for the regional title is Boston College's Cate Guiney. Cate ran away to big wins over many of the most likely regional contenders at both the Iona Meet of Champions and the Big East Championships. Cate's only defeat this season is a narrow loss to Washington's Sabrina Monro at Pre-NCAAs, a performance which was 17 seconds faster than any other runner in the country.
Cate will be joined at the front of the regional by twin sister Meg and frosh teammate Maria Cicero. Meg claimed 2nd at Iona, 3rd at Big Easts, and 8th in the Pre-NCAA silver race, while Cicero won the BC Invite, placed 4th at Iona, 11th at Pre-NCAAs, and 5th at Big Easts.
Providence College's Roisin McGettigan won New Englands and finished 9th at Big Easts, while teammate Claire Sherman finished 6th at Big Easts.
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.
Boston U's Rachel Felton won the American East individual crown, while teammate Sherida Bird has been up front all season.
From the Ivy's, Columbia's Caitlin Hickin finished 10th in the Pre-NCAA purple race and earned runner-up honors at HEPs, Dartmouth's Laura Neil was 4th at HEPs, while Cornell's Lena Matthews and Kate Boyles are leading the Big Red.
Vermont's Michele Palmer and Massachusetts' Kristin Cisowski both advanced as individuals to the NCAA champs last fall. Palmer has been running great all fall, with runner-up performances at Central Connecticut, New Englands, and America Easts. Cisowski has shown great ability to peak at the end of the harrier season and her bronze medal performance at the Atlantic 10 meet shows that she's rounding into shape.
Rhode Island's Erin Silvering won the Paul Short invite, claimed 3rd at New Englands, and led virtually the entire way at the Atlantic 10 champs before getting caught with 20 meters to go by Xavier's Kerry Hills. Connecticut's Sarah Casilli also appears to be peaking in the championship season.
Mid-Atlantic Regional
(Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA)
Georgetown is the clear favorite to run away with the regional title – they could possibly put their top five in before anyone else's 1st runner. Villanova appears to be a lock for the 2nd auto berth. Penn State and Buckell will duke it out for 3rd and 4th, but neither appear to have the out-of-region victories that would give them a shot at an at-large berth to Furman.
3. Georgetown (Mid-Atlantic)
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 first Pre-NCAA 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 2nd 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. 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. At Still, for Georgetown to be able to win it all, they will need to move their tight 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)
21. Villanova (Mid-Atlantic)
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, with 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
--. Penn State
Penn State moves back into the top echelon of the Mid-Atlantic region this fall. The Nittany Lions finished 21st at Griak, then won the Paul Short Invitational, finished 2nd at their own National Invitational, then tied for 7th at Big Tens. Michelle Wale, 2nd at both Paul Short and National Invite, leads Penn State.
--. Bucknell
Bucknell finished 24th at the '99 NCAA meet, but missed qualifying in 2000. Hurt by transfer of Andrea Beisser to Colorado St. Senior Becki Marshall won the 9/8 Gulden Duals, leading the Bison to wins over Siena and Syracuse. Bucknell then finished 2nd to Georgetown at the 9/22 Mt St Mary's Invite and behind Penn State at the 10/6 Paul Short Invite. The Bison finished 17th in the Pre-NCAA silver race before winning yet another Patriot League title.
Returnees: Becki Marshall (96th '99), Theresa Dennis, Kristin Ferrell, Kelly McConnell, Christina Crowe
Georgetown's performances at Pre-NCAAs and Big Easts demonstrate that they have the capability to perfect score the region; that is, finish 1-2-3-4-5 in the field. Marni Kruppa is the favorite for the regional title off of a 4th place effort in the Pre-NCAA purple race and a runner-up performance at Big Easts. However, she leads a tightly bunched pack that include Jill Laurendeau, Nicole Lee, Erin Sicher, and Amanda Pape.
From the Mid-Atlantic, only Villanova frosh Kalin Toedebusch has broken up the Hoyas' top five this fall – she ran faster than Sicher and Pape did at Furman, but in the other race. In head-to-head racing, all five Hoyas downed the first Wildcat. Fellow newcomer Ioana Parusheva is running 2nd for the Wildcats.
Princeton's Emily Kroshus, the Canadian Jr 5000 record holder, won at Central Conn and claimed 5th at HEPs. Bucknell's Becky Marshall won the Patriot League title, while LaSalle's Ndidi Obichere grabbed fourth at the Atlantic 10 meet. Penn State's Michelle Wale earned runner-up honors at both the Paul Short and National Invites.
Southeast
Regional (Furman University, Greenville, SC)
Teams:
North Carolina State and North Carolina would appear to have locked up the two automatic berths out of the Southeast Region, with the Wolfpack getting edge in both of their two meetings this fall – Great America and ACCs. Virginia has really come along this season and seems like a strong third. Colonial champs James Madison easily handled Duke at the Griak Invite, but Duke appears to have improved over the course of the season so we could see a battle for fourth. Virginia, James Madison, and Duke all appear to have the wins needed for at-large berths.
4. North Carolina State (Southeast)
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.
Meets:
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)
9. North Carolina (Southeast)
Shalane Flanagan proved last year that she's as good as any runner in the country and will be joined by all seven of her teammates who finished 12th last fall in Ames. '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.
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, Liz Awtrey (65th, 55th '99; trans from Villanova;
10:26sc), Nicole Boykin (11.01.94yd)
14. Virginia (Southeast)
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 and 3rd at ACCs. 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
23. James Madison (Southeast)
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.
25. Duke (Southeast)
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. At ACCs, Duke could only muster a 5th behind NC State, UNC, Virginia, and Georgia Tech.
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)
Individuals:
Defending champion Shalane Flanagan is a clear favorite to win the Southeast region. She's undefeated this fall with a big win at Wolverine Interregional and another ACC individual crown. Fellow Tarheel Carol Henry scored an impressive runner-up performance at Great American early this fall, but appears to have slipped a bit over the course of the season.
Virginia's Jennifer Owens is on a hot streak. She claimed 6th in the sizzling Pre-NCAA silver race, then 3rd at ACCs. Fellow Cavalier Sarah Folse could also sneak in among the top individuals.
The Wolfpack's Katie Sabino, Megan Coombs, and Kristin Price should all be up front to lead NC State to the win. Sabino was 13th in the fast Pre-NCAA Silver race and 4th at ACCs, Price finished 3rd at Great American and 7th at ACCs, and Coombs was 14th at Pre-NCAAs and 6th at ACCs.
JMU's Mollie DeFrancisco and Cynthia Dunham finished 1-2 at the Colonial champs, while William & Mary's Cheryl Bauer claimed 3rd.
Liberty's Heather Sagan won the Big South conference title after claiming 24th in the Pre-NCAA purple race, while Campbell's Heather Lee won the Atlantic Sun conference.
Great Lakes
Regional (Indiana State, Terre Haute, IN)
Teams:
Michigan State appears to on their way to winning the Great Lakes regional title following a 5th-place performance at Griak, a runner-up finish in the Pre-NCAA purple race, and a Big Ten title. Behind the Spartans, things get a bit more jumbled. Marquette has been consistent all season, claiming 9th at Griak, 10th in the Pre-NCAA silver race, and winning Conference USA. Notre Dame won their own Notre Dame Invite, finished 11th in the Pre-NCAA silver race, and knocked off Villanova for 3rd in a very competitive Big East meet. Perennial powerhouses Michigan and Wisconsin both appear a little off their game this fall, but either could pull things together and claim an auto berth. Toledo is on fire after winning their first-ever MAC title and could pull an upset off at regionals. Marquette and Notre Dame both have a couple out-of-region wins and could claim at-large berths for the NCAA meet, but neither Michigan nor Wisconsin will advance unless they grab an auto berth.
6. Michigan State (Great Lakes)
The Spartans failed to advance to the Show in 2000, but not only appear to be ready to claim a berth this fall but maybe even have an outside 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.
Returnees: Anne Sommerville (27th, 125th '99; 9:33, 10:27sc, 16:35), Cindy Durocher (62nd '99), Michelle Carson (34:29), Jamie Krzyminski, Sarah Pepera
18. Marquette (Great Lakes)
The Golden Eagles claimed 27th at the 2000 NCAA Championships. 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. Brianna Dahm, Jessie Swan, and Susan Barth lead the Golden Eagles.
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)
19.
Notre Dame (Great
Lakes)
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 upset Villanova to claim 4th behind Georgetown, Boston
College, and Providence.
Returnees: Jennifer Handley (16:40), Megan Johnson
Newcomer: Lauren King (26th WXC Jr)
27. Michigan (Great Lakes)
The Wolverines placed 14th in Ames, but appear to be hard pressed to repeat that finish in 2001. Michigan finished third at the 9/8 Miami Invite, 7th at the Meet of Champions, 2nd behind Notre Dame at the 10/5 Notre Dame Invite, and 4th at their own Wolverine Interregional. The team regrouped at Big Tens and edged Wisconsin for runner-up honors behind Michigan State.
Returnees: Jane Martuneau (83rd), Erin White (146th), Katie Ryan (186th, 223rd '99), Katie Easton (192nd), Lindsey Gallo (225th)
29. Wisconsin (Great Lakes)
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.
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)
--. Toledo (Great Lakes)
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 team title.
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)
Wisconsin's Bethany Brewster has the strongest claim on the role of regional favorite. The Badger's Big Ten crown demonstrates that she has regained the form that saw her finish 9th at last fall's NCAA champs.
Michigan State's Anne Sommerville finished only 4 seconds back of Brewster at Big Ten's to claim runner-up honors and will be joined in the lead pack by fellow Spartan Michelle Carson, 5th in the Pre-NCAA purple race and 4th at Big Tens.
Notre Dame's 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. Teammates Jennifer Handley (7th Big East) and Megan Johnson (14th Big East) have also led the Irish this fall.
Toledo's Brianna Shook won the Mid-American Conference crown, while fellow Rockett Petra Teveli finished 29th in the fast Pre-NCAA silver race.
Marquette's Susan Barth and Brianna Dahm lead the Golden Eagles, with Barth claiming 28th in the Pre-NCAAs silver race and Dahm finishing 3rd at Conference USA.
Ball State's Katie Nowak finished 15th in the Pre-NCAA purple race and 2nd at Mid-American Conference, while Purdue's Lindsay Zinn claimed the bronze at Big Ten's. Xavier's Kerry Hils, a transfer from Missouri, narrowly won the Atlantic 10 conference.
Midwest
Regional (Southern Illinios Univ, Carbondale, IL)
Teams:
The Midwest Region appears to be pretty wide open this fall, with the Oklahoma State Cowgirls getting the nod of favorites off a trio of runner-up team performances at the Cowboy Jamboree, Chili Pepper Festival, and Big 12 champs. Minnesota appears to be the most consistent of the rest of the field, claiming 12th at Griak, 14th in the Pre-NCAA Silver race, and 4th at Big Tens. Kansas State claimed 3rd at Big 12s, Loyola won the Horizon Conference crown, and Northwestern and Illinois finished 6th and 7th respectively at the Big Ten Champs. Only the first two teams from this region will advance to Furman for the NCAA meet since none of the teams have accumulated enough out-of-region wins for at-large consideration.
20. Oklahoma State (Midwest)
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.
31. Minnesota (Midwest)
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)
--. Kansas State (Midwest)
The Wildcats return Amy Mortimer, sixth in 2000. Kansas State downed Missouri at the Wichita State Invite, with Mortimer running away from the field for the win. Mortimer won again at the Cowboy Jamboree and Chili Pepper Festival, but her teammates could only manage 4th and 5th respectively in the team standings. At Big-12s, Mortimer claimed 3rd to lead the Wildcats to 4th behind Colorado, Oklahoma State, and Texas.
Returnees: Amy Mortimer (6th, 12th '99; 4:42yd, 9:23), Ekatertini Fotopoulou (138th, 170th '99), Amanda Crouse (204th, 68th '99; 10:49sc), Catherine Holston (236th)
--. Missouri (Midwest)
The Tigers finished 16th in Ames, but lost Kerry Hils (transferred to Xavier and won the individual title at the A10 conference meet). NCAA indoor 3k runner-up Ann Marie Brooks leads Mizzu, which faded to 13th at the 9/29 Griak meet. The Tigers finished 20th in the Pre-NCAA purple race and 7th at Big 12s
Returnees: Ann Marie Brooks (86th, 132nd '99, 94th '98; 2nd indoor 3000; 4:18, 4:36yd, 9:16, 16:06), Ashley McLeod (187th), Katherine Bonugli (219th), Amy Chipman (241st, 122nd '99)
Newcomers: Amanda Bales (2:12.26), Jill Peterson (4:56.40yd, 10:57.63yd),
--. Northwestern (Midwest)
Rachel Evjen returns to lead the Wildcats, which narrowly missed advancing to NCAAs last fall. Northwestern finished 2nd to Marquette at the 9/7 Bradley Open, won the Illini Invite, then claimed 16th at Griak. The Wildcats finished 19th in the Pre-NCAA purple race and 6th at Big Tens. Evjen won both the Bradley and Illini meets before finishing 23rd at Griak, 26th at Pre-NCAAs, and 5th at Big Tens.
Returnee: Rachel Evjen (126th)
Kansas State's Amy Mortimer and Oklahoma State's Siri Alfheim would appear to be co-favorites for the regional crown. Mortimer is the defending regional champ and went on to finish 6th at NCAAs, while Alfheim edged the Wildcat at Big 12s as the duo claimed 2-3 at the loop championships.
Nebraska's Ann Gaffigian finished 20th in the Pre-NCAA silver race, then placed 7th at Big 12s. Missouri's Anne Marie Brooks claimed 6th at Big 12s.
Northwestern's Rachel Evjen finished 26th in the Pre-NCAA purple race and 5th at Big Tens, the top Midwest regional finisher. Minnesota's Darja Vasilijeva and Lisa Dyer lead the Gophers, with Dyer claiming 8th at Big Tens.
Loyola's Kristyne McGuinn ran away with the Horizon Conference crown. Illinois State's Stacua Beste won the Missouri Valley conference ahead of Wichita's Endija Rezgale, while Eastern Illinois' Beth Martin claimed runner-up honors in the Ohio Valley conference.
South Central Regional
(Texas A&M, College Station, TX)
Teams:
Arkansas appears to once again be the regional favorite. The Lady 'Backs finished 4th at Great American, 2nd at Stanford, won their own Chili Pepper Festival, and claimed yet another SEC loop title. Pre-season, Texas A&M was thought to have a lock on the other auto berth. However the Aggies have redshirted a couple key personnel, opening up the 2nd auto berth to any number of teams including Texas and Texas Christian.
12. Arkansas (South Central)
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.
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)
30. 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.
--. Texas A&M (South Central)
The Aggies grabbed 18th in Ames in their first appearance at the NCAA meet, but appears to be red-shirting many of their top returnees – including Melissa Guilli. However, Texas A&M looked very ragged at the Auburn, finishing sixth against a mostly unranked field, before winning ther own home invitational. At Big 12s, Andrea Bookout led the Aggies to fifth behind Colorado, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Kansas State.
Returnees: Melissa Guilli (22nd; 9:33, 15:52), Andrea Bookout (26th), Jennifer Whatley (190th), Sarah Steadman (191st; 10:50sc), Kristy Bonn (208th), Kayci Waters (213th)
--. Texas Christian (South Central)
The Horned Frogs fell short of qualifying for Ames as a team, but were well represented by Gladys Keitany's 40th place finish. TCU won the North Texas invite, then claimed third at the Conference USA meet while Keitany took the individual crown.
Returnees: Gladys Keitany (40th; 16:44)
--. Baylor (South Central)
Baylor won the 9/29 Auburn Invite over a field of unranked teams; earlier they had won their own invitational. Kara Newton returns to lead Baylor, but she didn't show up in the results at Pre-NCAAs, where the Bears could only muster a 23rd-place finish in the Silver race. At Big 12s, Newton's 10th-place effort led the Bears to 6th.
Returnee: Kara Newton (63rd, 193rd '98; 9:47, 17:01, 35:13)
Individuals:
Arkansas' Andreina Byrd is the strong favorite for the South Central regional title given wins at the Stanford Invitational and SECs. Teammate Christin Wurth was 4th at Stanford and claimed runner-up honors at SECs.
TCU's Glady Keintany ran away with the Conference USA crown and hopes to notch another individual berth at NCAAs.
Baylor's Kara Newton finished 10th at the Big 12 champs. Texas' Emily Field and Erin Sims claimed 14th and 15th respectively at Big 12s, while Texas A&M's Andrea Bookout – a returning All-American from last fall – finished 17th.
North Texas' Debbie Thornhill won the Sun Belt title over Arkansas-Little Rock's Leah Thorvilson.
Mountain Regional (Brigham
Young University, Provo, UT)
Teams:
The Mountain regional should give us a good preview for NCAAs. BYU, the 1997 and 1999 NCAA champs, have shown that they are a serious contender for top honors in Furman with a narrow 2-point loss to Stanford at Pre-NCAAs and a devastating demonstration of their potential at the Mountain West champs where they packed their top 5 runners in within 13-seconds and claimed 6 of the top 7 finishers ahead of a talented Colorado State team. Defending national champ Colorado is under-rated at 10th; they sat out two of their top three runners at Pre-NCAAs for illness and minor injuries and fell 4th in the purple race. However, the Buffs dominated the field at Big 12s and should make it a close race with BYU at regionals. Behind these two titans, Big Sky champ Northern Arizona and Mountain West runner-up Colorado State will slug it out for 3rd and 4th honors and likely at-large berths.
2. Brigham Young (Mountain)
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 Mannova – 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 Mannova, 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 Mannova 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.
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 Mannova (148th; transfer from New Orleans)
7. Colorado (Mountain)
Despite the graduation of individual NCAA harrier champion Kara Grgas-Wheeler's, the Colorado Buffalos are still highly ranked considered a favorite to repeat as NCAA champions. Sara Gorton, Jodie Hughes, Lesley Higgins, Tera Moody, Catherine Wright, and Jen Fazoli all return from last fall's national championships squad. Major question marks for the Buffalos at mid-season are two of the team's top runners – Gorton, 8th last fall as a frosh, who appears to have recovered from a plantar tear suffered last spring and Jodie Hughes, surprise winner of the indoor NCAA 5000. Both Gorton and Hughes missed the Pre-NCAA meet; Gorton was diagnosed with mono the Tuesday prior to Pre-NCAA while Hughes is recovering from achillies tendonitis. However, Coach Mark Wetmore told me that he expects to have them two of them back in time for the championship meets. 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. However, Colorado faces a stiff challenge to repeat as champions, even with Gorton and Hughes back in the lineup and running near the top of their game: Stanford, BYU, and Georgetown all three still beat them when the duo are inserted near Austin in the results. 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. Keys for Coach Wetmore are to get Gorton back and for Moody, Higgins, and White to tighten the gap.
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)
13. Northern Arizona (Mountain)
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.
Returnees: Susan Rutherford (67th; 16:31), Jinny Hanifan (10:25sc), Jamie Herman (11:09sc)
Newcomer: Ida Nilsson (trans from UALR)
16. Colorado State (Mountain)
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 distance 2nd behind BYU.
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
--. Weber State (Mountain)
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 and 2nd at the Big Sky meet.
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)
Colorado's Molly Austin won the Pre-NCAA purple race and the Big 12 champs. Fellow Buffalos Sara Gorton, 8th at last fall's harrier champs, and Jodie Hughes, the indoor NCAA 5000 champ, sat out the Pre-NCAA meet with mono and achillies tendonitis respectively. Hughes returned for Big12s and finished 4th, while Gorton rebounded from mono last fall to claim her top-10 NCAA finish.
BYU's Tara Northcutt won the 2000 NCAA 10,000m title and appears to be in the best shape of her life. Backing up 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, Susan Rutherford, and Jinny Hanifan claimed the top three places at the Big Sky championships. Colorado State's Marget Larson was the only athlete to break up BYU's scorers at the Mountain West championships. Weber State's Caroline Jolly and Heidi Bouwhuis placed 4th and 5th at Big Sky and could contend for an individual berth along with Southern Utah's Jandee Anderson, the Mid-Continent champ.
West
Regional (University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ)
Teams:
Stanford is the top-rated team in the country and shouldn't have any difficulty coming out on top in the competitive West region. Arizona upset Arizona State at the PAC-10 meet for runner-up honors, but the Sun Devils had sat out their 4th runner with a migraine. Without NCAA individual favorite Sabrina Monro, who dropped out about 2-miles into the PAC-10 race with a "foot injury", the Washington Huskies were unable to hold off UCLA. However, Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, and Washington all have the out-of-region wins needed for at-large consideration and should all advance unless some other team can knock one of them off at the regional meet.
1. Stanford (West)
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 2nd 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.
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)
8. Arizona (West)
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.
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)
11. Arizona State (West)
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.
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
17. UCLA (West)
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.
24. Washington (West)
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. The undefeated 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.
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)
--. Cal-Irvine (West)
Earlier this fall, the Anteaters won the 10/8 UC Irvine Invite and the 10/22 UC Riverside Invite. Cal-Irvine claimed fourth in the "long" (6k) race at Stanford, with the trio of Tessa Cendejas, Amanda Armstrong, and Julie Manson leading the Anteaters. The Anteaters then finished 4th at the 10/13 Chili Pepper Festival and 2nd at the Big West champs to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Individuals:
The West region has so many strong individuals that it's tough to know who to highlight. The obvious favorite is Washington's Sabrina Monro, who finished 2nd at last fall's NCAA harrier champs while running for Montana – except that she dropped out two miles into the PAC-10 champs with a foot injury that has been reportedly bothering her off and on for a month.
In her absence, Arizona's Tara Chaplin tried to steal the PAC-10 race but was run down at the end by NCAA 5000 champ Lauren Fleshman and last fall's Foot Locker champ Sara Bei. Stanford's Alicia Craig, 5th at PAC-10s, was 3rd in the Pre-NCAA silver race and won the 4k at the Stanford Invite.
Washington frosh Lisa Biggs 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, and 6th at PAC-10s. Washington State's Everlyn Lagat has improved steadily over the season and claimed a strong 4th at the loop championships.
Arizona State's Lisa Aguilera, West region winner prior to finishing 5th last fall in Ames, finished 3rd in the Pre-NCAA purple race and 7th at PAC-10s. Arizona State's Brianna Torres and Kelly MacDonald placed 9th and 10th respectively at the conference meet.
Hawaii's Cheryl Smith ran away with the WAC title, while Santa Barbara's Katie Appenrodt ran away with the Big West crown over Cal Poly's Jessica Dahlberg.
South
Regional (Univ. Alabama, Birmingham, AL)
Teams:
Georgia Tech would appear to be the class of the South region following a 10th-place effort in the Pre-NCAA purple race and 4th in the competitive ACC. South Florida has been the most consistent other squad, winning the Florida Intercollegiates and finishing 13th in the Pre-NCAA purple race and 2nd at Conference USA. Florida State was a close 2nd to South Florida at the Florida Intercollegiates and also runner-up to Baylor at the Auburn Invite, but then placed a distant 20th in the Pre-NCAA silver race and 7th at ACCs. Tennessee earned runner-up honors at SECs after claiming 16th in the Pre-NCAA silver race, while Florida edged Auburn and Vanderbuilt for 3rd at SECs. No at-large berths are likely for this region since only the Rambling Wreck has any significant out-of-region wins.
26. Georgia Tech (South)
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.
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)
--. Tennessee (South)
All-American Sharon Dickie, the defending South region winner, leads a Volunteer squad that finished 16th in the Pre-NCAA silver race and 2nd at the SEC champs. Dickie finished 38th at Pre-NCAAs and 3rd at SECs.
Returnees: Sharon Dickie (29th; 16:28)
--. 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.
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)
--. Florida
The Gators have slowly developed over the course of the season. Erin Merten leads Florida, winning the individual title at the National Invite and claiming 4th at SECs. The Gators finished 4th at National Invite and 3rd at SECs.
Returnees: Erin Merten (2:06, 4:22)
--. Florida State (South)
The Florida State Seminoles narrowly finished 2nd to South Florida at the 9/22 Florida Intercollegiates, then finished 2nd to Baylor at the Auburn Invite. Victoria Gill won at Auburn; she had also won the Florida Intercollegiates, but was listed "unattached" there. Gill tried to challenge Washington's Sabrina Monro early in the Pre-NCAA Silver race, but paid the price later when she faded to 30th. Her teammates claimed 20th at Furman. Gill then led her squad to a 7th-place finish at ACCs with her own 5th-place effort.
Individuals:
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 2nd at ACCs.
Tennessee's Sharon Dickie is the defending regional champ and claimed bronze at the SECs, while Florida's Erin Merten finished a couple seconds back in 4th.
Florida State's Victoria Gill won the Florida Intercollegiates and Auburn Invite and finished 5th at SECs.
South Florida's Tara Quinn claimed runner-up honors at Conference USA, and Georgia State's Jenn Feenstra and Belmont's Keely Weaver (an individual qualifier in '00) finished 2-3 at the Atlantic Sun conference.