Analysis of the 2002 NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country Coaches' Poll
by Mike Scott,
University of Rhode Island
Updated: October 7
For the sixth consecutive year, I am analyzing the Women's Division I Coaches' Poll. Teams are listed according to their ranking in the current edition of the FinishLynx/NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY NATIONAL POLL, as conducted by the Women's Intercollegiate Cross Country Coaches' Association.
Places listed in parentheses refer to finish at the 2001 NCAA D-1 XC Championships at Furman University, unless otherwise noted. Performances are from the 2001-02 year, unless otherwise noted. Performances at the Foot Locker High School Cross Country Championships are denoted by "FL".
As always, I appreciate additions, corrections, and updates. Please send them to me at miscott@att.net
Weekend Roundup:
While harrier action this weekend was a
bit quieter than last weekend's Great American-Roy Griak-Stanford-Iona Meet of
Champion quadruple header, there were still several outstanding meets contested
the first weekend of October.
Stanford 1-2-3-ed the field at the 10/4 Notre Dame Invite, with Wisconsin downing regional foe Notre Dame despite highly touted frosh Molly Huddle's much-anticipated debut for the Irish. The Cardinal's Sarah Bei, Lauren Fleshman, and Alicia Craig dominated the race, with the trio taking control at about 1000m and simply powering away. Huddle claimed 4th, while Stanford's Malindi Elmore got up for fifth ahead of Notre Dame's Lauren King. The Badgers used a tight 27-second 1-5 spread to claim runner-up honors as the host Irish had to wait a while for their 4th and 5th scorers to finish.
Arkansas easily won the 10/5 Indiana State Preview (aka, NCAA Preview #1), while a resurging Michigan edged Villanova for runner-up honors as both squads finished ahead of Colorado State.
Georgetown edged SW Missouri State at the 10/5 Cowboy Jamboree, while Colorado edged D-2 powerhouse Western State by a single point at the 10/5 Rocky Mountain Shootout. Missouri dominated the 10/5 Loyola Lakefront Invite.
Weekly Preview:
A fairly quiet weekend is in store as most
of the country rests for the 10/19 Pre-NCAA meet at Indiana State. Still…
At the 10/11 New Englands, Boston College and Yale line up for local bragging rights. Arizona State hosts Stanford and Northern Arizona at the Arizona State Invitational. Penn State hosts Providence, Villanova, William & Mary, and Tennessee at the 10/12 National Invitational. Other meets include the 10/11 All-Ohio, 10/12 Michigan Intercollegiates, 10/12 North Carolina Intercollegiates, 10/12 Tiger Invitational, and 10/12 Texas A&M Invite.
TOP THIRTY TEAMS:
1. Brigham
Young (Mountain)
Patrick Shane's BYU Cougars have won three
NCAA crowns in the last five years (97-99-01). BYU would appear to be in the driver's seat to win it all,
returning five of their last year's NCAA seven -- a quintet that would have won
last year's meet by a large margin. Last year's individual fifth-placer
finisher Michaela Manova stepped it up in during track to win the steeple in an
NCAA record and should be considered an individual contender, while teammate
Jessie Kindschi claimed 7th.
Lindsey Thomsen and Nan (nee Evans) Kennard finished 23rd and 36th in 2001. Their fifth returnee, Amy Bair,
finished 45th last year -- and the Cougars add a sub-34:00 10k runner in Devra
Vierkant, a 34:32 10k performer in Kristen Ogden, a 10:28 steepler in Breanne
Sandberg, and the junior national 1500 champ Kassi Anderson. Redshirt frosh Breanne Sandberg, a
10:28 steepler last spring), led the Cougars at the 9/14 BYU Autumn Classic as
Coach Shane held out his top five.
Great American showed the BYU can run only half their
potential top seven and still dominate one of the deepest fields in recent
memory. Surprising Kassi Anderson
was BYU's top finisher, a mere 9 seconds behind UNC's Shalane Flanagan. Manova was just behind, with Sandberg
and Kennard also finishing in the top 7.
Running "B" race winner Katie Martin in the seeded race would
have netted the Cougars an individual 8th-place too -- and an amazing 26
points. However, BYU settled for a
mere 105-point margin of victory.
Among those not racing at Great American were NCAA scorers Kindschi and
Thomsen, as well as potential scorer Viekant. BYU looks impressive early -- now the question remains
whether they can be rated tops in the only poll that matters -- the NCAA
championships team scores on November 25!
Coach Shane was quoted as saying "I hoped
we wouldn't be so dominant because I don't like to be ranked first."
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/1 MW Conf (BYU), 11/16 Mtn Reg (NMex)
Returnees: Michaela Manova (5th, 148th '00; 9:18.49i, 9:45.94 s/c;
steeplechase champ; 8th ind 3k), Jessie Kindschi (7th, 28th
'00 D-2; 34:32.48), Lindsey Thomsen (23rd, 150th '00; 16:16.47; 33:58.20; 8th
ind 5k; 16th 10k), Nan (nee Evans) Kennard (36th, 152nd '00; 10:14.16s/c), Amy
Bair (45th), Kassi Anderson (WXC, 4:18.04, 1st USA Jr 1500), Devra Vierkant
(16:16.97; 33:56.02), Breanne Sandberg (10:28.87s/c), Kristen Ogden (34:32.28),
Not returning -- Sarah Taylor (24th, 94th '00, 55th '98),
Newcomer: Shalice Pugmire (4:56.62y)
2. Stanford
(West)
Individual contender Lauren Fleshman leads
the Cardinal as they attempt to redeem themselves after a disappointing
fifth-place team effort last year at Furman. Fleshman, who finished third at last year's harrier
championships, went on to claim the indoor 3000 and outdoor 5000 titles. She's joined by former Foot Locker
champions Erin Sullivan and Sara Bei, as well as former Foot Locker runner-ups
Mariel Ettinger and Anita Siraki, and '01 All American Alicia Craig. In their season opener at
Cal-Fullerton, Craig and Bei tied for the win, while Malindi Elmore and Jeane
Goff finished 3-4 about 30 seconds back.
Siraki, Sullivan, and Ettinger finished 9-11-13, about a minute behind
the leaders; Fleshman apparently sat out this race. Stanford swept the long and short course titles at its own
invitational, with Bei and Craig taking and easy 1-2 over the 6k, while
Fleshman finished 2nd to Canadian star Emilie Mondor at 4k, with Mailindi
Elmore claiming 4th. The following
week at Notre Dame, the Cardinal dominated the field with Bei, Fleshman, and
Craig running away from the field to claim the top three finishers and Elmore
claiming 5th behind star Irish frosh Molly Huddle. Stanford's fifth at South Bend was a resurging Anita Siraki,
as the Cardinal apparently rested Sullivan.
Meets: 10/11 Arizona State, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 Pac-10s (Pasadena), 11/16
West Reg (Stanford)
Returnees: Lauren Fleshman (3rd, 11th '00, 5th '99; 2nd '98 FL; 4:18.11,
9:07.45i, 15:35.59; '01 & '02 out 5000 champ, ind 3k champ), Alicia Craig
(28th; 20th '00 FL), Erin Sullivan (52nd, 25th '00, 7th '99; '97 & '98 FL
Champ; '99 USA Jr Champ; 16:30.04, 34:10.32; 10th 10k), Sara Bei (89th; '00 FL
Champ; 4:22.98, 16:22.54; 12th out 5k; USA Jr 3k champ), Mariel Ettinger
(126th, 96th '00, 217th '99; 2nd '97 FL; 16:47.31), Jeane Goff (10:22.46s/c),
Anita Siraki (2nd '00 FL), Malindi Elmore (4:20.12, 4:39.88iy; 4th Mile)
Newcomers: Kristen Cohoon (10:04.77), Yfa Kretzschmar (2:10.05, 5:01.95y); Not
running (deferred admission): Julie Allen (11th FL; 4:59.27y, 10:37.75y),
3. Michigan
State (Great Lakes)
The Spartans finished 11th in South
Carolina last year. Michelle
Carson and Jamie Kryzminski lead six returning members of last year's NCAA
squad. At the non-scoring 9/20
Spartan Open, Carson shattered the course record to lead 4 of her teammates --
Krzyminski, Stein, Durocher, and Pepera - to finish among the top 8. The Spartans continued to roll at
Griak, notching an easy win over a solid field behind Cason's individual
title. MSU's website reports that
Katie Anderson is injured and is expected to redshirt.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 Big Ten, 11/16 Great Lakes (W. Lafayette, Ind)
Returnees: Michelle Carson (34th; 16:38.22, 34:11.96), Jamie Kryzminski (106th;
16:38.25, 33:58.89; 7th 10k), Katie Anderson (116th), Natalie Stein (147th),
Cindy Durocher (208th, 62nd '99), Sarah Pepera (10:33.71s/c)
Newcomers: Megan Radermacher (2:14.42), Michelle Rafferty (11:00.70y), Brittany
Ballard
4. Colorado
(Mountain)
Questions abound following the official
season "opener" for the 2000 NCAA Champs. Colorado returns a seasoned core from last fall's
eighth-place squad -- Molly Austin
claimed 8th individually, while Sara Gorton's 4th in the outdoor 5k shows that
she's returned to the form that garnered her an 8th-place finish at the 2000
harrier champs -- plus the Buffs struck it big in the recruiting department
this year, signing Foot Locker runner-up Erika Odlaug, '01 USA Junior champ
Laura Zeigle, and Laura's twin sister Jackie, 7th at last fall's Foot Locker
meet. Foot Locker runner up Odlaug
finished 17th at the World XC championships in March, but struggled with posterior tibialis tendonitis for the rest of the spring
and skipped the post-season June meets; the Boulder Daily Camera notes that
Odlaug might redshirt this season.
Odlaug didn't compete at the the 8/31 CU Time Trial, but the Zeigle
twins finished just ahead of the rest of the squad, including Christina Bolf,
Natalie Florence, Gorton, Tera Moody, and Austin. While Austin and Florence looked strong with an easy 1-2
finish at the 10/5 Rocky Mountain Shootout, Gorton jogged in the last could kilo after reportedly
feeling dizzy. And none of the
highly touted frosh class (Odlaug and the Sisters Zeigle) appeared -- the CU website noted that Jackie
Zeigle has a stress fracture in her left foot while sister Laura was held out
with a right forefoot injury and had a bone scan scheduled for later the day of
the Shootout.
Meets: 10/12 Tiger Inv, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 Big 12 (Mo), 11/9 Air Force Dual,
11/16 Mtn Reg (NMex)
Returnees: Molly Austin (8th; 16:16.10i, 33:43.11), Tera Moody (88th, 71st '00,
118th '99), Natalie Florence (100th; 16:21.41, 33:40.46), Sara Gorton (8th '00;
4:21.77, 4:40.35iy; 15:51.55; 6th ind mile, 4th out 5k)
Newcomers: Erika Odlaug (2nd FL; 17th World XC; 10:35.13y), Laura Zeigle (3rd
'00 FL, '01 USA Jr Champ; 4:25.24, 9:39.14, 10:15.25y, 16:29), Jackie Zeigle
(7th FL; 5:02.45y, 9:41.23), Christine Bolf (10:35,.83y)
5. Boston
College (Northeast)
Boston College -- sixth in 2001 -- returns
an excellent group, but will have to survive without redshirting standout twins
Cate and Maggie Guiney. USA Junior
champ Maria Cicero, 16th in her collegiate debut, returns to lead the
Eagles. Joining Cicero with NCAA
experience is Julie Spolidoro, Jennifer Kramer, Jennifer Donovan, and Laura
Smith. Three-time Foot Locker
qualifier Laura Burdick leads Coach Randy Thomas' newcomers. The Eagles opened with a win at the 9/7
Central Conn Inv, with Spolidoro taking the individual win and Cicero and
Kramer sitting out the meet. BC
also dominated the 9/13 UNH Invite, with Smith, Donovan, Spolidoro, Cicero, and
Burdick sweeping the top five spots as they finished within three seconds of
each other.
Meets: 10/11 NEs, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/1 Big East (Boston), 11/16 NE Reg (NYC)
Returnees: Maggie Guiney (10th, 13th '00, 220th '99), Maria Cicero (16th; USA
Jr Champ; 16:13.55i; 33:53.86), Julie Spolidoro (107th, 120th '00; '00 US World
XC Team16:43.01), Jennifer Kramer (119th, 97th '00), Jennifer Donovan (183rd;
10:32.64s/c), Cate Guiney (34th '00, 167th '99), Laura Smith
Newcomers: Laurel Burdick (22nd FL; 4:43.25, 10:01.49), Anne Hessberg, Alexis
Lake
6. Arizona
State (West)
The Sun Devils finished 23rd at Furman,
but while hard hit by graduation it hasn't seemed to faze them. Newcomers Jessica Scalzo and Amy
Hastings led the Sun Devils at Notre Dame's adidas Invite as ASU fell to both
the hosts and NC State. However,
at Griak an entirely underclass quintet consisting of four freshman (Scalzo,
Hastings, Lindgren, & McLaughlin) and a sophomore (Davila) got up for
runner-up honors behind only Michigan State.
Meets: 10/11 Az St Inv, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 PAC-10s
(Pasadena, CA), 11/16 West Reg (Palo Alto)
Returnees: Jen Hurbis (194th), Desiree Davila (205th), Cody Sohn, Amanda Lyon,
Liz Lindgren, Mandi Fitz-Gustafson
Newcomers: Jenny Aldridge (4:51.88y, 10:51.43y), Amy Hastings (9:53.1 3k; Ks
champ), Jessica Scalzo, Laughlin
7.
Georgetown (Mid Atlantic)
The Hoyas return their entire squad that
claimed team bronze in 2001. Jill
Laurendeau, Marni Kruppa, and Erin Sicher will lead Georgetown, with US Junior
national team member Nicole Lee and Amanda Pape also returning. The Hoyas' trademark last fall was
their very tight pack running.
Despite holding out five members of last year's NCAA squad, Georgetown
downed visitors Penn State and Yale at a 9/14 Tri-Meet to open the season. The Hoyas could only muster a 6th-place
finish at Great American with Laurendeau, Kruppa, and Pape missing from their
lineup; Lee had an excellent race to lead Georgetown. Laurendeau and Pape debuted at the 10/5 Cowboy Jamboree; Laurendeau won the race to help her mostly
"B" team teammates edge SW Missouri State.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/1 Big East (Boston), 11/16 Mid Atlantic Reg (WVa)
Returnees: Jill Laurendeau (14th; 4:22.64, 4:4.55iy), Marni Kruppa (37th, 28th
'00, 127th '99; 16:10.03; 33:43.72), Erin Sicher (43rd; 4:23.26, 4:44.98iy),
Amanda Pape (46th, 98th '00; 16:39.39), Nicole Lee (84th; US World XC Team),
Jodee Adams-Moore (112th), Colleen Kelly (145th, 143rd '00)
Newcomers: Kim Malcolm (4:58.46), Meghan O'Neil (2:11.14), Danielle Rodgers
(2:10.86)
8.
Providence (Northeast)
Perennial top-10 power Providence returns
several from their '01 squad, as well as two more with NCAA experience. Rosin McGettigan and former
All-American Heather Cappello should lead the Friars, while Mary Cullen appears
to have improved greatly.
McGettigan, Cullen, Cappello, O'Shea, and Tallen finished 1-5 over the
field at the 9/6 New Hampshire Invite.
McGettigan won again the following week at the 9/14 Dartmouth Invite,
leading her Friar teammates to an easy win over host Dartmouth. The Friars demonstrate good depth
early, with a 49-second 1-5 spread over the 3.3 mile Dartmouth course. However despite solid runs by
McGettigan and Cullen at Griak, an off day by PC's third runner (Tallen) relegates
the Friars to third behind Michigan State and Arizona State and leaves them
wondering how many at large points they actually accumulated.
Meets: 10/12 National Invite, 11/1 Big East (Boston), 11/16 NE Reg (NYC)
Returnees: Rosin McGettigan (53rd, 145th '00, 139th '99; 4:42.95iy,
10:08.24s/c; 8th s/c), Deirdre Byrne (114th; 4:18), Emer O'Shea (157th), Lisa
Cappello (196th, 180th '00), Mary Cullen (214th; 16:44.73), Emily Tallen (102nd
'00, 234th '99), Heather Cappello (29th '99, 154th '98)
9. North
Carolina State (Southeast)
North Carolina State pulled together an
excellent team effort to claim bridesmaid honors at Furman. Individual contender Kristin Price, 4th
last year and winner of the 10k during track, will lead the Woldpack and will
be joined up front by Megan Coombs (13th in '01). Josi Lauber, Diana Henderson,
and Erin Swain all return with NCAA meet experience, while former ACC Freshman
of the Year Jennifer Modliszewski is reportedly healthy after struggling with
injuries over the last couple years.
An understrength Wolfpack squad fell to host Notre Dame (also
understrength) at the adidas Invite; although Price won the event and Lucas
finished 3rd, Vadnais, Henderson, and Swain's efforts were not enough to
overcome the Irish and NC State fell 32 to 43. NC State hosted the 9/21 Wolfpack Invite, but only ran a B
squad composed of redshirt frosh.
At Great American, the Wolfpack raced without Price and Kraft and were
narrowly nipped for runner-up honors by Columbia; Coombs also debuted, but ran
subpar. Kris Roth raced unattached
in the "B" race and would have scored for the Wolfpack in the seeded
section.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 ACCs (Atlanta), 11/16 SE Reg (Greenville, NC)
Returnees: Kristin Price (4th; 9:20.11i, 15:35.67, 33:39.66; 10,000 champ),
Megan Coombs (13th; 203rd '99; 9:22.98i, 10:12.05s/c, 16:35.38; 9th s/c), Josi
Lauber (173rd), Diana Henderson (141st '00), Erin Swain (220th '00), Janelle
Vadnais, Jennifer Modliszewski (7th FL '97), Sara Graybill, Kara Price, Ginger
Wheeler, Beth Kraft
Newcomers: Renee Gunning (x-fer from Villanova, 103rd, 155th '00), Julia Lucas
(5:00.39y, 10:35.23y), Kristina Roth (16th FL), Amy Arnold (Ohio Champ)
10. Wisconsin (Great Lakes)
Although they failed to advance to the
NCAA harrier meet for the first time ever last fall, the Badgers feature a strong
squad this fall. In their season
opener at the 9/14 OZ Memorial, the Badgers went 1-2-3-4 over the host
Minnesota squad, with UCLA transfer Elaine Canchola winning, followed by Jackie
Mulrooney, Heidi Lane, and Liz Reusser.
Michelle Lilienthal and Hilary Edmondson filled out Wisconsin's top
6. At Stanford, Canchola,
Mulrooney, Lilienthal, Reusser, and Ingrid Dodge finished 4th in the 6k behind
split squads from Stanford and Duke plus UCLA. The Badgers' 4k squad claimed 2nd behind Stanford at 4k, running
Edmondson, Heidi Lane, and Linsey Blaisdell. Wisconsin fell to Stanford at the 10/4 Notre Dame Invite,
but downed Notre Dame by featuring a tight 27-second 1-5 spread among Canchola,
Lilienthal, Reusser, Lane, and Edmondson, with Mulrooney finishing in the same
time as Edmondson.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs. 11/3 Big Tens (W. Lafayette, Ind),
11/16 GL Reg (W. Lafayette, Ind)
Returnees: Liz Reusser (112th '00; 16:42.85), Michelle Lilienthal (113th '00),
Hilary Edmondson (161st '00; 4:22.33), Leslie Patterson (193rd '00), Linsey
Blaisdell, Erin AufderHeide
Newcomer: Elaine Canchola (174th; x-fer from UCLA), Michaela Courtney (2:13.96,
4:52.70y), Ingrid Dodge, Heidi Lane
11. Duke
(Southeast)
Duke was a major winner in the recruiting
wars this year, adding Foot Locker finalists Laura Stanley (5th at Foot Locker)
and Sally Meyerhoff (12th FL), as well as California prep 3200 champ Clara
Horowitz and Cal prep mile champ Shannon Rowbury, and Caroline Beriebaum (9th
NE FL). This standout quintet
joins Sheila Agrawal, who is returning to Duke's lineup after redshirting last
fall's harrier season. One blow to
Duke, however, was Foot Locker third-place finisher -- and Duke frosh --
Natasha Roetter's decision to not run in college. Duke won the 9/14 Lou Onesty Invite over Virginia, with
newcomers Bierbaum and Horowitz finishing 1-2 and Rowbury, Meyerhoff, and
Stanley finishing 6th, 8th, and 12th.
Beirbaum appears to have run away with the individual race, beating
Horowitz by 33 seconds. Duke split
their team on the 9/27-28 weekend, racing Bierbaum, Miller, Stanley, Hullinger,
and Wort at Great American and Rowbury, Horowitz, Meyeroff, Edwards, and Ko at
Stanford -- both teams that could be considered "A" teams under NCAA
criteria. At Great America, Duke
finished 12th behind an outstanding 4th-place effort by Bierbaum, while at
Stanford they finished 2nd in the 6k behind Stanford.
Meets: 10/12 NC Intercollegiates, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 ACCs (Atlanta), 11/16
SE Reg (Greenville, NC)
Returnees: Sheila Agrawal (7th
'00, 28th '99; '00 USA World XC Team; 16:29.54), Lisa Nagorny (211th '00),
Laura Schmid (222nd '00), Allison Hofmann (237th '00), Paige Miller (9:38),
Paris Edwards (17:11), Phebo Ko (36:19), Meghan Leon, Heidi Hullinger
Newcomers: Clara Horowitz (4:52.62y, 9:41.90, 10:34.81y), Sally Meyerhoff
(2:13.53, 4:36.22, 10:30.51y), Shannon Rowbury (2:08.74, 4:52.70y, 9:38.41),
Laura Stanley (5th FL; 5:00.03y, 10:36.64y), Elizabeth Wort (10:53.63y),
Caroline Bierbaum (9th NE FL); Not
competing -- Natasha Roetter (3rd FL; 10:24.03iy)
12. Notre
Dame (Great Lakes)
Notre Dame was one of the break through
teams in 2001 and, thanks to the addition of two Foot Locker finalists, should
contend for top ten honors at Indiana State. Lauren King, 27th last fall, is Notre Dame's top returnee,
but may be challenged by newcomer Mollie Huddle, 4th at the Foot Locker meet
and ran 9:21.37 for 3k and 10:01.08 for two miles. Foot Locker finalist Stephanie Madia also joins the squad.
Running without either Huddle or Madia in their lineup Notre Dame downed an
understrength NC State and Arizona State at their 9/6 season opener, with King
finishing second to the Wolfpack's NCAA title contender Kristen Price. The Fighting Irish won the rainsoaked
9/20 National Catholic Invitational, winning easily without the services of top
runners King, Huddle, or Jen Handley.
Katie Wales finished third to lead Notre Dame, while Madia debuted with
a strong fourth-place effort.
Despite the much-anticipated debut of Huddle, the Irish fell to both
Stanford and Wisconsin at their own 10/4 Notre Dame Invite. Huddle finished 4th behind a trio of
Cardinal runners, while King claimed 6th and Handley 9th. Wisconsin edged the
Irish as the hosts were left waiting for Wales and Madia, their 4th and 5th
scorers.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAA, 11/2 Big East, 11/16 Great Lakes Reg (W. Lafayette, Ind)
Returnees: Lauren King (27th; 4:16.85, 4:44.60iy; 6th 1500), Megan Johnson
(130th), Jen Handley (131st; 16:28.55), Jennifer Fibuch (154th), Christi
Arnerich (193rd), Muffy Schmidt (222nd), Katie Wales
Newcomers: Molly Huddle (4th FL; 4:27.04, 4:47.24y, 9:21.37, 10:01.08y),
Stephanie Madia (23rd FL; 4:58.48y, 10:57.33y)
13. Arkansas
(South Central)
Arkansas finished 17th at last fall's NCAA
meet, but returns six runners from last year's squad as well as '99 bronze
medallist Lilli Kleinmann, who redshirted last fall. Kleinmann, Andriena Byrd
and Christin Wurth should lead the Lady 'Backs. Arkansas downed Northern Arizona at the 9/14 Aztec Invite,
with Wurth, Londa Bevins, and Kleinmann finishing 2-3-4 leading the Lady 'Backs
to a 32-second 1-5 spread.
Arkansas finished 5th at Great American behind BYU, Columbia, NC State,
and UNC, but finished without Kleinmann (who started, but dropped out after 1k
still not recovered from a bout with bronchitis) and Splichal (recovering from
shingles) in the lineup. Byrd,
Bevins, and Wurth finished 1-2-4 at the 10/5 Indiana State Invite to lead
Arkansas to an easy win over
Michigan, Villanova, and Colorado State; Kleinmann and Splichal also sat
out here but are expected to return for the 10/19 Chili Pepper.
Meets: 10/19 Chile Pepper, 11/4 SEC (Florida), 11/16 South Reg (Baylor)
Returnees: Lilli Kleinmann (10th '00, 3rd '99), Andriena Byrd (49th; 4:23.05,
9:23.54i, 16:44.87), Christin Wurth (62nd, 84th '00, 104th '99; 4:16.80;
4:44.95i, 16:30.05), Penny Splichal (75th; 34:33.99), Londa Bevins (178th,
245th '00; 4:18.85, 10:34.21s/c), Michelle Hurn (197th), Alison Zeinner (216th,
231st '00), Erica Sigmont (Australia; 2:06), Laura Jakosky
Newcomers: Maureen Scott (4:56.7y, 10:48y), Jessie Gordon (OK XC champ)
14. Columbia
(Northeast)
The Lions return everyone from a team that
finished 22nd in 2001.
All-American Caitlin Hickin leads a strong Columbia team. The Lions "B" team dominated
the 9/14 Fordham Invite. Columbia
rocketed up the polls after claiming runner-up honors at Great America behind
only BYU. The Lions narrowly edged
NC State despite an off day by Hickin; instead Trish Nolan stepped up to lead
her teammates with a 10th-place individual effort. Columbia downed Stoney Brook the following week to win the
Mets.
Meets: 10/4 Mets, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/1 HEPs (NYC), 11/16 (NYC)
Returnees: Caitlin Hickin (20th, 90th '00; 16:32.66), Melissa Stellato (152nd,
164th '00), Loretta Kilmer (163rd), Trish Nolan (165th; 9:39, 16:45.50), Laurel
Gordon (184th), Lauren Harrison (191st, 136th '00)
Newcomers: Hilary Bontz (2:14.29), Elizabeth Carey (4:42.95, 10:03.29), Lisa
Stublic (10:58.16y)
15. North
Carolina (Southeast)
Despite individual contender Shalane
Flanagan fading from 1st to 22nd over the final half-mile at least year's meet,
North Carolina still claimed 8th in the team standings and returns and
excellent crew including Flanagan, steeple bronze medallist Carol Henry,
outdoor 800 champ Alice Schmidt, and NCAA mile finalist Erin Donohue. Henry rolled her ankle during a
training run, had surgery, and missed some training training time. No decision
has yet to made regarding whether she'll redshirt, but she definitely won't
appear until after Pre-NCAAs. UNC won the 8/31 Campbell Inv, but then finished
2nd to Coastal Carolina at the 9/14 UNC Challenge running without Flanagan and
Donohue. Flanagan won at Great American to lead her team to a surprising
4th-place finish behind BYU, Columbia, and NC State.
Meets: 10/12 NC Intercollegiates, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 ACCs (Atlanta), 11/16
SE Reg (Furman)
Returnees: Shalane Flanagan (22nd, 4th '00; '00 USA Jr Champ; 4:15.37,
4:38.43iy, 9:16.30i; 3rd ind Mile), Carol Henry (38th; 4:23.32, 9:23.79,
9:51.16s/c; 3rd s/c), Erin Donohue (60th; 4:20.72, 4:43.95iy; 10th ind Mile),
Liz Awtrey (185th, 65th '00, 55th '99; 10:29.10s/c, 16:42.41), Alice Schmidt
(out 800 Champ)
Newcomers: Jessica Perry (5:00.55y, 10:43.37y)
16. Virginia
(Southeast)
The Cavaliers finished 9th in 2001, but
were hard hit by graduation. NCAA
steepler Dawn Cleary leads Virginia, which fell to Duke and William and Mary at
the 9/14 Lou Onesty Invite.
Despite a bad day by their top runner -- Cleary -- and Hampson still out
of the lineup, the Cavaliers parlayed a 39-second 1-5 spread at Great American
into an excellent 7th-place finish.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 ACCs (Atlanta), 11/16 SE Reg (Greenville, NC)
Returnees: Dawn Cleary (10:03s/c), Melanie Matthews (10:13.31s/c, 16:45.54),
Megan McGarvey (96th), Jolene Hampson (219th), Ellen Dwyer, Jane Maxwell,
Sharon O'Conner
Newcomers: Delany Moje (4:58.21y), Kara Scanlin (10:27.25y, FL), Emily Hampson
17. Northern
Arizona (Mountain)
The Lumberjacks finished 12th in
2001. NCAA steeple runner-up Ida Nilsson
leads Northern Arizona. Nilsson
won the 9/14 Aztec Invite, but the Lumberjacks fell to Arkansas. Nilsson again led the Lumberjacks at
Great American as they finished 8th against the loaded field.
Meets: 10/11 Az St, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 Big Sky (Pocatello, Id), 11/16 Mtn
Reg (Albuquerque, NM)
Returnees: Ida Nilsson (12th; 9:10.48i; 9:49.94s/c, 15:51.71), Jinny Hanfan
(63rd; 10:25.23), Erika Edwards (143rd), Jamie Herman (187th)
Newcomers: Johanna Nilsson (4:17), Emily Geneste (France, 17:11), Estelle Brose
(France, 2:08, 4:34), Natalie Rogers (49th '01 World Jr XC), Julie Fisher,
Jodie Denike
18. UCLA
(West)
The Bruins finished 21st at Furman. Lori Mann, Jenna Timinsky, and
Alejandra Barrientos led UCLA to a runner-up finish behind Stanford at their
season opener, with the trio finishing 45-55 seconds behind Stanford's Craig
and Bei. UCLA comfortably won the 9/21 Big Wave Invitational over a bunch of
unranked squads, then finished 3rd at the Stanford Invite behind split squads
from the hosts and Duke.
Meets: 10/12 Cal-San Diego, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 PAC-10s (Pasadena), 11/16
West Reg (Palo Alto)
Returnees: Carolyn Shea (123rd), Alejandra Barrientos (125th), Valerie Flores
(127th; 19th FL '99), Lena Nilsson (135th; 2:03.88, 4:09.89; 4:38.88iy, NCAA
1500 champ), Lori Mann (190th), Tiffany Burgess (2:03.73)
Newcomers: Ashley Caldwell (2:09.49, 4:55.71y), Allison Hall (2:12.44), Jenna
Timinsky (2:09.48), Sarah West (5:00.78y, 10:46.83y)
19. Michigan
(Great Lakes)
The Wolverines are hoping for a berth into
this year's NCAA championships after failing to qualify in 2001. Michigan won the 9/7 Detroit Mercy
Invitational, with Andrea Parker finishing 3rd to lead the Wolverines, and the
9/14 Mel Brodt Invite, with Lindsey Gallo leading the way. At the 9/21 Sundodger Invite, the
Wolverines easily handled host Washington and displayed an excellent 20-second
1-5 spread. Michigan repeated this
tight pack running at the 10/5 Indiana State Invite, using their 24-second 1-5
gap to narrowly claim runner-up honors (behind Arkansas) over Villanova despite
getting 1-2-3'ed by the Wildcats.
Michigan's pack features Gallo, Jane Martineau, Rebecca Walter, Andrea
Parker, and Stephanie Hirlte.
Meets: 10/11 Mich Intercollegiates, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/3 Big Tens (W. Lafayette,
Ind), 11/16 GL Reg (W. Lafayette, Ind)
Returnees: Lindsey Gallo, Jeanne Spink, Katie Easton, Theresa Feldkamp, Chelsea
Homan, Edna Kollarits
Newcomer: Jennifer Frudden (Iowa champ), Rebecca Walter
20. Missouri
(Midwest)
The Tigers won their season opener at the
Missouri Challenge with newcomer Valerie Lauver, a Foot Locker finalist and
member of the USA Junior World Cross Country Team, winning the race for
Mizzou. The Tigers featured a
42-second 1-5 spread, with all five running 18:00 or faster for 5k on their
home course. At the Iona Meet of
Champions, MU edged Wake Forest for the title, with frosh Bales and Lauver
leading the Tigers. The Tigers
then ran away with the 10/5 Loyola Lakefront Invite.
Meets: 10/19 TBA, 11/2 Big 12 Champs (Mo), 11/16 MW Reg (Normal, IL)
Returnees: Serena Ramsey, Amy Chipman,
Newcomers: Valerie Lauver (8th FL; USA Jr WXC), Amanda Bales, Jackie Pirtle
21.
Villanova (Mid Atlantic)
'Nova finished 24th at Furman. The Wildcats return Kalin Toedesbusch,
Rebecca Mitchell, Carre Joyce, and Iona Parusheva, but lost Renee Gunning to
transfer. Foot Locker finalist Liz
Gesel will need to step right in to bolster Villanova's top-10 hopes. 'Nova opened by sweeping Haverford in
the 9/20 dual. In their first real
test of the season at the 10/5 Indiana State Invite, the Wildcat featured a
strong trio of Parusheva, Toedebisch, and Marina Muncan but were left waiting for newcomer
Gesel and Bridget Akard as they were edged for runner-up honors by a tighly
packed Michigan squad.
Meets: 10/12 Penn State, 11/1 Big East (Boston), 11/16 Mid Atlantic Reg (WVa)
Returnees: Kalin Toedesbusch (95th; 16:46.64), Rebecca Mitchell (110th, 140th
'00; 4:23.01), Carre Joyce (180th, 202nd '00), Iona Parusheva (209th)
Newcomer: Liz Gesel (19th FL; 4:58.42y), Marina Muncan
22. William
& Mary (Southeast)
William & Mary opened with a win at
its own 9/6 meet. Emily Halm and
newcomer Kristyn Shiring finished 1-2 for the hosts. W&M then claimed 2nd behind Duke, but ahead of Virginia
at the 9/14 Lou Onesty Invite. Ali Henderson, Maura McMahon, Cheryl Bauer, and
Emily Halm, are leading the squad.
Henderson led W&M again at Great American as the team claimed 9th
overall.
Meets: 10/12 Penn St, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 CAAs (Manassas, Va), 11/16 SE Reg
(Greenville, NC)
Returnees: Cheryl Bauer (9:33.92, 16:37.60), Alison Henderson (10:29.83s/c;
16:53.25, 34:25.77), Maura McMahon (9:51.05, 17:01.25, 34:43.77), Emily Halm
(9th '00 SE reg), Laura Toscani (40th '00 SE Reg)
Newcomers: Julia Cathcart (28th FL; 4:32.36, 4:54.71y, 10:51.07y), Lauren Heron
(2:13.25, 4:38.73, 4:57.90y), Karen Pulliman ('00 MD XC champ, 10:17 '01,
returning from heel surgery), Kristyn Shiring (2nd VA AAA 3200, 10:59)
23. Marquette (Great Lakes)
Marquette finished 15th last year at
Furman. Susan Barth, Brianna Dahm, and sisters Jessie and Jackie Swan return to
lead the Golden Eagles. Jessie Swan and Susan Barth finished 1-2 in the same
time at the 9/7 Purdue Opener, w/ Jackie Swan claiming 3rd 30 seconds behind. The following week, Barth and Swan
shattered the course record at the 9/13 Bradley Invite to lead their teammates
to a near sweep of the field; Dahm continues to sit out the races and might
possibly redshirt. Marquette
finished at solid fourth at Griak behind Michigan State and Arizona State, but
ahead of regional foes Indiana and Toledo. The Golden Eagles edged Texas A&M at the 10/5 Murray
Keating Invite, with Jessie Swan and Susan Barth running 2-3 and leading a
55-second 1-5 spread.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 Conf USA (Hattiesburg, Miss),
11/16 Great Lakes Reg (W. Lafayette, Ind)
Returnees: Susan Barth (70th; 68th '00; 16:29.11i, 34:12.72), Brianna Dahm
(51st; 107th '00; 10:01.77s/c), Jessie Swan (149th, 209th '00), Jackie Swan
(151st), Audrey Schlits (201st, 221st '00)
Newcomers: Tara Hinke (Wisc Div 1 champ), Alli Sauer (5:02, 10:56)
24. Colorado
State (Mountain)
The Rams claimed 20th last year at
Furman. CSU opened with a win over
defending D-II champ Western State at their 9/14 Ram Invite, with Jennifer
Kintzley leading the Rams, followed by Kim Leal, Kim Watson, Marget Larson, and
Katie Yemm in a tight 20-second 1-5 spread. Earlier, the Rams easily won the
9/6 Wyoming Invite. The Rams
finished 10th and 4th at the 10/5 Indiana State Invite.
Meets: 11/1 MW Conf (BYU), 11/16 Mtn Reg (NMex)
Returnees: Katherine Yemm (80th, 156th '00; 4:44.14iy), Jennifer Kintzley
(129th, 127th '00), Kim Leal (141st, 174th '00; 34:55.03), Colleen Blair
(150th), Marget Larson (215th, 131st '00; 10:16.67s/c), L. Kwiatkowski (221st)
Newcomers: Michelle Carman (x-fer from Boise St; 16:52), Brittany Saunders
(2:14, 5:07, 11:08 at altitude)
25. Penn
State (Mid Atlantic)
The Nittany Lions finished 5th at the Mid
Atlantic regional in 2001 and return NCAA individual qualifier Michelle
Wale. Newcomer Tracey Brauksieck
won PSU's 9/7 Spike Shoe Invite, leading her squad to an easy win. Chelsea Lange finished 3rd overall,
while Wale finished well behind in 15th.
Brauksieck also led PSU to second at the Georgetown Tri-meet behind the
Hoyas "B" squad, but ahead of Yale's "A" squad. The Nittany Lions won the Paul Short
meet over a field of unranked squads.
Meets: 10/12 Penn State, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/3 Big Ten (W.
Lafayette, Ind), 11/16 Mid Atlantic Reg (WVa)
Returnees: Michelle Wale (134th), Chelsea Lange, Katy Hillard, Molly Landreth,
Maureen Thomas
Newcomers: Tracey Brauksieck (FL), Tara Johnson (x-fer from Boston Univ)
26. Wake Forest (Southeast)
The Demon Deacons are bolstered by
Washington transfer Lisa Gibbs and redshirt frosh Jill Miller, who will join '01
individual qualifier Anne Bersagel.
Bersagel and Miller finished 1-2 at the 8/30 Mountaineer Open, with five
other Deacons among the top nine finishers. Miller won the 9/14 Wake Forest Invite and led her teammates
to nearly perfect-score the field.
At the Iona Meet of Champions, the Deacons were upset by then-unranked
Missouri. Bersagel led Mizzou, with Rutland and Miller running 2-3.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 ACC (Atlanta), 11/16 SE Reg (Greenville, NC)
Returnees: Anne Bersagel (57th; 16:40.43), Jill Miller (9:37.72; 2nd USA Jr
3000), Risa Rutland
Newcomer: Lisa Gibbs (x-fer from Washington; 35th; 34:34.79), Anna Sherman
(x-fer from Layfette College), Erin Franklin (10:03.24, 10:43.77y)
27.
Southwest Missouri State (Midwest)
The Bears return their entire lineup from
the squad that claimed 4th at the 2001 Midwest regional. Rebekah Daro leads the
Bears. SW Missouri won the 8/31
Tulsa Invite, downed Oklahoma State at the 9/7 Wichita State Inv, the won the
9/21 Missouri Southern Stampede.
SW Missouri narrowly lost to an understrength Georgetown squad at the 10/5 Cowboy Jamboree, with
Erin Sutton leading the Bears.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 Missouri Valley (Ind St), 11/16 MW Reg (Ill St)
Returnees: Rhonda Allen, Rebekah
Daro (10:25.50, 18:25.00), Rebecca Kuklenski (18:01.10), Casey Owens, Laura
Schafluetzel
Newcomer: Ashley Sanders (Mo champ)
28.
Washington (West)
The Huskies lost Lisa Gibbs to transfer, but return five with NCAA cross
experience from a squad that claimed 14th last season. Newcomers Alison Tubbs
and Laura Hodgson should strengthen Washington's lineup, although the Huskies
may redshirt Tubbs. Newcomer Laura
Hodgson won the 9/7 Emerald City Inv to lead the Huskies to an easy team win. Michigan easily handled the Huskies at
the 9/21 Sundodger Invite with the Dawgs narrowly edging Idaho and Texas
A&M. The Huskies finished 4th
at the 10/4 Notre Dame Invitational behind Stanford, Wisconsin, and Notre Dame,
but ahead of Indiana, Northwestern, Ball State, and Purdue. Courtney Inman led the Huskies in South
Bend, with Bradshaw, Spigel, Egerdahl, and Adsit-Morris rounding out the
scorers; Hodgson apparently had an off day and didn't score for the Dawgs.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 Pac-10s (Pasadena), 11/16 West Reg (Palo Alto)
Returnees: Kate Bradshaw (105th, 89th '00, 128th '99; '00 USA World XC Team;
34:20.86), Jamie Gibbs (113th), Courtney Inman (200th; 2:06.46, 4:17.53, 10th
1500), Kate Spigel (202nd, 249th '00), Camille Connelly (235th), Laura
Halvorsen
Newcomers: Alison Tubbs (Great Amer champ), Laura Hodgson (10:49.20y), Molly
Wise (x-fer from Colorado)
29.
Dartmouth (Northeast)
Nicole Kelleher and Jesse Allen-Young
return to lead Dartmouth.
Dartmouth fell to Providence at their own 9/14 Dartmouth Invite, but
then claimed 4th at Iona ahead of Ivy powers Yale and Cornell. Kelleher and Allen-Young led Dartmouth
at Iona to a 50-second 1-5 spread over 6k.
Meets: 10/11 NEs, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/1 HEPs (NYC), 11/16 NE Reg (NYC)
Returnees: Jesse Allen-Young (140th), Nicole Kelleher (182nd), Kristen
Ettensohn (199th), Cecily Garber (206th), Kristin Andrews
Newcomer: Megan Olds (2:13.3), Melanie Schorr
30. Indiana (Great Lakes)
Indiana downed South Florida at the 8/30
Indiana Open, then finished second to Purdue at the 9/20 Indiana Intercollegiates
in a race that way marred by runners going off course in the final 800. Mindy Peterson leads the Hoosiers with
wins at both the Indiana Open and Indiana Intercollegiates, with newcomers
Jessica Gall and Lindsay Hattendorf backing her up. Indiana put together an
excellent run at Griak, claiming 5th behind Michigan State, Arizona State, and
Marquette. Peterson and Audrey
Giesler led the Hoosiers at the 10/5 Notre Dame Invite as Indiana finished 5th
behind Stanford, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, and Washington, but ahead of
Northwestern and Ball State.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/3 Big Ten (W. Lafayette, Ind), 11/16 Great Lakes Reg
(W. Lafayette, Ind)
Returnees: Becky Obrecht (34:32), Audrey Giesler (10:29s/c), Mindy Peterson
(4:29)
Newcomers: Jessica Gall (21st FL; 10:38y), Lindsay Hattendorf (11:02y), Kelly
Siefker (11:04y)
OTHER TEAMS RECEIVING VOTES:
31. Florida
State (South)
Vicky Gill leads Florida State, which
claimed 14th at Great American 1 point ahead of regional foe South Florida.
Returnees: Vicky Gill (122nd; 33:59.67; 11th 10k), Ann Clinton, Natalie Hughes
Newcomer: Jenny Gomez, Suzanne Shepard
32. Texas
A&M (South Central)
The Aggies return standouts Mellissa
Gulli, Andrea Bookout, and four others from their 18th-place 2000 NCAA squad;
the Aggies finished 4th in their region in '01 despite redshirting three of
their top five returnees. Gulli
won the 8/31 Aggie Alumni challenge and finished second at the 9/21 Sundodger
Invite behind post-eligible Sabrina Monroe in a performance that makes her a
solid top-10 contender. However,
the Aggies appeared short-handed without Bookout [who hasn't appeared this
fall] in the lineup and could only muster fourth behind Michigan, Washington,
and Idaho in Seattle. Texas
A&M narrowly fell to Marquette at the 10/5 Murray Keating Invite, with
Gulli taking an easy individual win.
Meets: 10/12 Texas A&M Inv, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/02 Big 12s (Mo), 11/16
South Central Reg (Baylor)
Returnees: Mellissa Gulli (22nd '00; 9:24.96i, 16:13.75i; 2nd ind 5k), Andrea
Bookout (26th '00), Jennifer Whatley (190th '00; 9:50), Sarah Steadman (191st
'00), Kayci Waters (213th '00), Tamara Budija (9:50)
Newcomers: Meredith Crane (4:42.48, 10:58.27y), Landra Stewardson (10:58.59y)
33. James
Madison University (Southeast)
JMU is looking for a berth out of one of
the nation's toughest regions.
Mollie DeFrancesco and Cindy Durham will lead the Dukes this fall. JMU finished 11th at Great American behind
DeFrancesco.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 CAA, 11/16 SE Reg (Greenville, NC)
Returnees: Mollie DeFrancesco (56th; 9:56.07s/c, 16:03.97; 4th s/c, 4th USA
s/c), Cindy Dunham, Jennifer Lapetoda, Kelly Baker (36:33.45), Claire Wood
Newcomers: Nelly Anderson, Tiffany Cross, Kristen Saunders, Shannon Saunders
34. Stony
Brook (Northeast)
The Sea Wolves are off to a nice start,
winning their own 9/7 Sea Wolfe Invite then dominating the 9/21 Central
Connecticut Invite. Jenny Payne
downed '01 NCAA individual qualifier Michele Palmer to win the CCSU meet. Stony Brook then finished 2nd to an
understrength Columbia squad at the 10/5 METs.
Meets: 10/12 Iona Quad meet, 10/19 Lafayette Inv, 11/2 American East, 11/16 NE
Reg (NYC)
Returnees: Jenny Payne (17:13), Jackie Nunez, Laura Hixson, Jackie Berman
(2:55.26 1k, 10:12.54)
Newcomers: Leonora Joy (2nd NZL XC Champs; 2:11.92, 4:25, 9:27.01)
35. Toledo
(Great Lakes)
Toledo is looking for their first ever
team appearance at the NCAA meet.
Steepler Briana Shook leads the squad. An understrength Rocket squad finished 3rd at the 9/7
Detroit Mercy Invite behind Michigan and Eastern Michigan, despite Shook's
individual win. Shook claimed
runner-up honors at the non-scoring 9/20 Spartan Open, with newcomer Erica
Moriarty finishing third. If
scored, Toledo would have finished 2nd to Michigan State, 25 to 51. The Rockets claimed 6th at Griak close
behind regional foes Marquette and Indiana in what's shaping up to be an
excellent battle for the first bubble spot in the Great Lakes region. Individually, Shook again stepped up to
claim runner-up honors behind MSU's Carson.
Meets: 10/11 All Ohio, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 10/25 Eastern Mich, 11/2 MAC, 11/16
Great Lakes Regional (W. Lafayette, Ind)
Returnees: Briana Shook (64th;
9:58.97s/c, 16:22.17), Petra Teveli (9:46.35, 17:04.02, 35:30.85), Sara Vergote
(10:31.57s/c, 17:04.23), Jessica Kraft (4:30.85, 9:56.52), Emily Gora
(10:14.89, 17:47.13).
Newcomers: Chris Tye (R-Fr.,
Paeroa, New Zealand, 10:06.80, 17:00.32, 35:52.70); Monika Spinger (9:58.55,
17:20.12, 36:11.89); Erica Moriarty (2:14.2, 5:02.21y, 11:02.3m); Ebba Stenbeck
(R-Fr., Norkkoping, Sweden, 9:50.64, 10:52.12s/c, 18:06.10).
36. Weber
State (Mountain)
Weber finished 5th in the competitive
Mountain Region last fall and return their entire squad, plus regained the
services of 2001 steeple runner-up Rachel Bennion. Weber finished 2nd at the
9/14 BYU Autumn Classic, with '01 NCAA qualifier Cynthia Losee and Jessica
Winters leading the way. Bennion
returned to their lineup at Griak to lead her teammates to 7th behind Michigan
State, Arizona State, Providence, Marquette, Indiana, and Toledo. Weber then perfect-scored Montana and
Montana State on 10/5.
Returnees: Rebecca Bennion (33rd '01; 4:21 '01, 9:54 s/c '01, 16:07 '01; 2nd
'01 s/c), Rachel Bennion (167th '01; 4:34, 10:39 s/c), Heida Bouwhuis (4:41,
10:42 s/c), Janae Johnson (201st '01; 17:30), Cynthia Losee (207th; 168th '01;
17:05, 36:47), Genny Minnoch (105th '01), Caroline Pebley (4:38, 10:41 s/c),
Ashley Winter (16:51), Jessica Winters (17:20)
Newcomer: Jenny Packer (5:14y, 11:30y)
37. Yale
(Northeast)
Yale returns six from the squad that
finished 13th at last year's NCAA harrier meet, including twins Kate and Laura
O'Neil. Kate, 11th last year at
Furman, also finished 5th in the outdoor 5k, while Laura claimed third in the
10k. Amanda Brewster, Melissa
Wisner, Alexandra Sawicki, and Lindsay Mitchell all return with NCAA
experience, while former NE Foot Locker winner Melissa Donais and '00 Foot
Locker finalist Julia Pudlin joins the lineup. Despite a 1-2 finish by Kate and Laura O'Neil and only missing
Brewster and Wisner from their '01 NCAA lineup, Yale could only muster third
behind Georgetown and Penn State at a 9/14 Tri-Meet hosted by the Hoyas. Despite a 1-3 finish by the O'Neil's at
Iona and Donais in the lineup, Yale fell to fifth behind Missouri, Wake Forest,
Adams State, and Dartmouth. Yale
then won the 10/5 Yale-Harvard-Princeton tri-meet.
Meets: 10/11 NEs, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/1 HEPs (NYC), 11/16 NE Reg (NYC)
Returnees: Kate O'Neil (11th, 31st '00; 9:19.10i, 16:01.99; 5th out 5k, 9th ind
3k), Laura O'Neil (26th, 32nd '00; 33:39.14; 3rd 10k), Amanda Brewster (146th,
154th '00), Melissa Wisner (169th), Alexandra Sawicki (171st), Lindsay Mitchell
(198th, 107th '00), Rebecca Hunter,
Newcomer: Julia Pudlin (8th FL '00; 10:27.51y), Melissa Donais ('99 FL; '02
Millrose Mile champ), Emily Vince, Hannah Oberman-Breindl, Katie Matlack
38. Cornell
(Northeast)
Cornell finished 30th at the 2001 NCAA
meet. The Big Red won the 9/14
Army Invite, with Jessica Parrot and Kate Boyles finishing 1-2 to lead a
49-second 1-5 gap. Cornell had an even tighter grouping at Iona, but finished
6th behind Missouri, Wake Forest, Adams State, Dartmouth, and Yale. The Big Red then easily won the 10/5
LaSalle Invitational.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/1 HEPs (NYC), 11/16 NE Reg (NYC)
Returnees: Jessica Parrott (156th), Carlan Gray (159th), Christine Diaz
(166th), Kari Haus (168th), Amber McGown (170th), Karen Boyles (10th '00 FL)
Newcomers: Christy Planer (4:58.61y, 11:03.52y), Angela Kudla ('00 FL; NY
"B" champ)
OTHER TEAMS OF NOTE:
--. Arizona
(West)
The Wildcats will be hard pressed to
repeat last year's 4th-place team finish after graduating NCAA individual champ
Tara Chaplin and three others as well as the retirement of Arizona mentor Dave
Murray. However Beth Hodge, 32nd
in 2001, returns to lead Arizona under the former Washington State coach James
Li. Jenny Sears led the Wildcats to sixth at the 9/14 Aztec Invite; Arizona ran
without Hodge and Gurnicz in the lineup.
Word out of the Arizona camp is that Coach Li is likely to redshirt
Hodge and Gurnicz. Without this
duo, the Wildcats finished 19th at Griak.
Meets: 10/11 AzSt, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 PAC-10s (Pasadena), 11/16 West Reg
(Palo Alto)
Returnees: Beth Hodge (32nd, 243rd
'00; 16:15.91), Nicole Gurnicz (138th, 183rd '00)
Newcomers: Jenny Sears (4:58.5, 10:57y)
--. Auburn
(South)
Catherine Waynoike and Foot Locker
finalist Angela Homan led Auburn to a 1-2-3-4-5 sweep at the Crimson Classic
over host Alabama.
Newcomers: Catherine Waynoike (2nd JUCO; x-fer from
Butler JC), Angela Homan (18th FL)
--. Ball
State (Great Lakes)
Ball State returns All American Stacey
Ritz. The Cardinals finished 3rd
at the 9/7 Miami Invite and 3rd at the 9/20 Indiana Intercollegiates, behind
Purdue and Indiana. State finished 13th at Griak, then 7th at Notre Dame with
Ritz back in 65th.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 MAC (Oxford, OH), 11/16 GL Reg (W. Lafayette, Ind)
Returnees: Stacey Ritz (17th), Katie Nowak (10:34.05s/c, 16:15.29), Jill
Scully, Sarah Huddleston (17:23.54), Crystal Meeks (36:29.25), Linda Stebbins
(17:35.63), Natasha Lothery (2:06.55), Aubrey Gaffer
Newcomers: Nicole Hartford (5:05.70y, 11:11.38y)
--. Baylor
(South Central)
The Bears won the 9/14 Rice Invite, with
North Texas-transfer Debbie Thornhill taking the individual win. Baylor then claimed 15th at Great
American.
Returnees: Debbie Thornhill (Big 12 10,000 champ), Dixon, Stephanie Bennett,
Vacek
Newcomers: Marvin (10:51),
Cornelius (Tx 3A Champ)
--. Boston
University (Northeast)
BU finished 16th at Furman in 2001. The Terriers won an easily over
Northeastern and SUNY-Albany on 9/13 in Boston, but then could only muster an
11th-place effort at the Iona Meet of Champions.
Meets: 10/11 NEs, 11/2 Amer East (Boston), 11/16 NE Reg (NYC)
Returnees: Sherida Bird (148th; 4:24, 9:26), Bolpar Vinh (175th, 80th '00, 99th
'99; 5:04y, 9:59); Dina Mijuskovic (4:36, 9:56); Charlotee Coffey (4:36, 9:52)
Newcomer: Jessica Iannacci (11:02.4y)
--.
Cal-Santa Barbara (West)
NCAA Individual qualifier Katie Appenrodt
returns to lead UC Santa Barbara.
Appenrodt won the UCSB Open to lead the Gauchos over regional foe Cal
Poly SLO after they finished 3rd behind Stanford and UCLA at the Cal State
Fullerton Open. The Gouchos
finished 7th in the long course at Stanford.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 Big West (Riverside), 11/16 West Reg (Palo Alto)
Returnees: Katie Appenrodt (81st; 16:35.46, 34:58.92), Cosette Smith (4:33.95)
Newcomers: Lauren Christman (4:58.66y), Stephanie Rothstein (4:58.47y), Seanna
Martin (2:15.61, 5:00.83y, 11:07.67y)
--. Coastal
Carolina (Southeast)
Coastal Carolina upset North Carolina at
the 9/14 UNC Challenge when the Tar Heels rested their top three. Anne Marie Moutsinga leads the Lady
Chanticleers, winning both the 9/7 HPU/Elon Invite and the 9/14 UNC Challenge
to lead her teammates to victory.
Coastal finished 16th at Great American against the stellar field, then
won the 10/5 East Carolina Pirate Invitational.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 Big South, 11/16 SE Reg (Greenville, NC)
Returnees: Kara Koppel (9:56, 17:20), Lindsey Kozlowski (17:30), Robyn Ritter
(18:04), Kim Nemergut (10:00, 17:34)
Newcomers: Anne Marie Moutsinga (Romania; 3rd '99 Euro Jr XC; 4:27, 9:28,
16:33, 35:02). Jessica Goeden (10:56y)
--. Georgia
Tech (South)
Georgia Tech's Renee Metivier was last
fall's surprise, claiming runner-up honors at the NCAA finals and leading her
team to a 26th-place finish.
However, she struggled a bit during the spring with compartment syndrome
in her left calf, had surgery on June 7, and missed six weeks of training. If she doesn't redshirt, then she may
not debut until the conference championships. Tech -- sans Metivier -- claimed 3rd behind South Florida
and Tulsa at the 9/14 Bulldog Stampede, with NCAA qualifier Katie Griffith
leading the Yellow Jackets.
Neither Metivier nor Griffin appeared at the 9/21 Georgia State
Invitation as the Rambling Wreck were unable to down the hosts. Again without Metivier, Griffin led G
Tech to 22nd at Great American and a win at the 10/5 Georgia Intercollegiates.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 ACCs (Atlanta), 11/16 South Reg (Tenn)
Returnees: Renee Metivier (2nd, 123rd '00; 9:22.09i, 10:12.85s/c, 16:10.71i),
Katie Griffin (104th; 9:44.46, 16:53.27, 33:57.12), Amy Dock (16:37), Neta Ezer
(17:23), Eboni Crosby
Newcomer: Carley Matthews (30thFL)
--. Kansas State (Midwest)
Returnees: Amy Mortimer (19th, 6th '00,
12th '99; 4:16.48, 9:09.99i, 15:52.99; 4th ind 3k)
Newcomers: Erin Mortimer (4:57.35y, 10:47.88y)
--. La Salle
(Mid Atlantic)
The defending Atlantic 10 champs return
everyone from a squad that finished 4th in the Mid Atlantic last fall. The Explores fell to Princeton at the
9/14 Princeton Invite, with Sheila Klick finishing 2nd overall and Solamiya
Login 5th. LaSalle then
claimed21st at Great American and 2nd to Cornell at the 10/5 LaSalle Invite.
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 A-10s (Pittsburgh), 11/16 Mid Atlantic Reg (WVa)
Returnees: Sheila Klick (4:33.01, 4:55.23iy, 9:54.61, 16:47.42), Ndidi Obichere
(2:09.56, 2:48.90i, 4:32.07), Leyna Williams (17:30), Jenna Darcy (4:58.69y,
17:59.77i), Megan deSimone, Solamiya Login (3:00.00, 10:48.41s/c)
--. Miami
(Ohio) (Great Lakes)
Miami returns All-American harrier Andrea
Kremer and All-American steepler Kristen Fryburg. Miami won the 9/7 Miami Invite and 9/27 Miami Classic, as
well as finished 9th at Griak in a tie with Kansas State
Meets: 10/11 All-Ohio, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 MAC (Oxford, OH), 11/16 GL
Reg (W. Lafayette, Ind)
Returnees: Andrea Kremer (25th),
Kristen Fryburg (111th '99)
Newcomers: Kelly Ardelean (5th Ohio XC), Katy Pryor (6th Indiana XC), Abbey
Reeser (Ohio State champ)
--.
Minnesota (Midwest)
The Gophers finished 25th at last year's
NCAA meet and return four of last year's top five runners. Darja Vasiljava, Laura Bjork, and
newcomer Carly Emil led the Gophers at their first real test of the season, the
9/14 OZ Memorial, where they fell to a resurging Wisconsin squad. Vasiljeva ran strongly at Griak, but it
wasn't enough to pull her teammates above an 11th-place finish.
Meets: 10/5 Iowa State, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/3 Big Ten (W. Lafayette, Ind),
11/16 MW Reg (Ill St)
Returnees: Darja Vasiljeva (86th, 46th '00), Lisa Dyer (111th), Laura Bjork
(133rd), Krista Anderson (186th, 227th '00), Anita Menden (213th, 165th '00)
Newcomers: Carly Emil (4:55, 10:37), Jenny Hess (2x Mn A XC champ), Emily Brown
('01 Wisc XC runner-up), Amy Lindner (SD champ)
--. Oklahoma
State (Midwest)
OK State claimed 18th at Furman last
year. The Cowgirls finished 2nd to
SW Missouri at 9/7 Wichita State, then claimed third at the 9/21 Big Wave
Invitational.
Returnees: Marie Nilsson (61st),
A. Lindquist (158th), Valentina Medina (162nd), Janine Brown (220th), C.
Clifford (229th)
--.
Princeton (Mid Atlantic)
Princeton downed La Salle at the 9/14
Princeton Invite, then finished 3rd behind Penn State and West Virginia at Paul
Short. Beat Harvard, but fell to
Yale at the annual 10/5 Y-H-P meet.
Returnees: Emily Kroshus (124th)
Newcomers: Meredith Lambert (10:13.80, 10:54.06y), Jordan Wagenseller (2:13.55)
--. Purdue
(Great Lakes)
The Boilermakers won the 9/20 Indiana
Intercollegiates over Indiana and Ball State, with newcomers Kaleena Cappel and
Laura Farley leading the way.
Purdue finished 4th at Stanford in the 4k, then 8th at the 10/4 Notre
Dame Invite
Meets: 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/3 Big Ten (W. Lafayette, Ind), 11/16 Great Lakes Reg
(W. Lafayette, Ind)
Returnees: Lindsey Zinn (USA Jr 5000 champ), Amber Ferner, Jessie Wilder,
Newcomers: Kaleena Cappel, Laura Farley, Corrie Whisner
--. Rhode Island (Northeast)
The Rams finished 2nd to Boston College in
their season opener at Central Conn., with frosh Kristen Coon finishing 3rd
overall to lead URI's young squad.
Rhody then claimed 3rd behind Providence and Dartmouth at the 9/14
Dartmouth Invite, with Coon again grabbing third. At Iona, URI could only muster a ninth place effort as the
squad's third runner had an off day and didn't even score for the team.
Meets: 10/11 NEs, 10/19 Pre-NCAAs, 11/2 A-10s (Pittsburgh), 11/16 NE Reg (NYC)
Returnees: Heidi Westerling (16:40.41, 35:19.69)
Newcomers: Emily Anderson (4:58.17y, 10:30.37; NE out mile champ), Kristen Coon
(10th FL NE; 10:08.72i), Jamie Sweeney (6:53.54 2k s/c, 10:24.63, AOC s/c
champ), Lindsay Vieira (10:07.57, 10:49.37i; NE ind 2-mile champ)
--. South
Florida (South)
South Florida finished 31st at Furman last
fall. The Bulls fell to Indiana at
the 8/30 Indiana Open, then the same quintet won the 9/14 Bulldog
Stampede. Christa Benton leads the
Bulls with a win at the Bulldog Stampede.
South Florida fell to 14th at Great American -- a mere 1 point behind
cross-state rival Florida State following an off race by the Bull's 5th runner
(who was about 40 secs or so behind where she would normally finish). The Bulls then easily won the 10/5
Gator Invite.
Meets: 10/19 Auburn, 11/2 Conf USA (Hattiesburg, Ms), 11/16 South Reg (Tenn)
Returnees: Kristy Fuller (115th, 215th '00, 238th '99; 16:47.08), Christa
Benton (210th)
Newcomer: Jessica Hellender (31st FL; 10:59.55y)
--.
Tennessee (South)
The Lady Vols, 6th at the '01 South Regional,
return Sharon Dickie and gain Foot Locker finalists Felicia Guilford and Mindy
Sullivan. Dickie won the 9/13
Tennessee Invite to lead the Lady Vols to the team title, with Guilford
claiming 5th overall. Dickie won
again at the 9/21 adidas Wolfpack Invitational as she led the Lady Vols to
victory over a NC State squad composed of redshirt freshman.
Meets: 10/12 National Invite, 11/4 SEC (Florida), 11/16 South Reg (Tennessee)
Returnees: Sharon Dickie (136th, 74th '98), Brooke Novak, Jessica Southers, Erin
Anderson
Newcomers: Felicia Guilford (6th FL; 8th USA Jr; 10:31.95y); Mindy Sullivan
(17th FL), Megan Cauble
--. Texas
(South Central)
The 'Horns finished 28th at Furman last
fall and won their opener at the 9/14 SW Texas Invite. Texas' second meet, the 9/21 Zilker Inv
was cancelled due to weather.
Returnees: Erin Sims (142nd; 4:20.37), Talis Apud-Martinez (153rd), Justine
Boulin (179th), Dawn Domaschk