Analysis of the 2004 NCAA Division I
Women's Cross Country Coaches' Poll
by Mike Scott,
University of Rhode Island
Updated: 15 November
For the 8th 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.
Notes: Places listed in
parentheses refer to finish at the 2003 NCAA D-1 XC Championships at the
University of Northern Iowa, unless otherwise noted. Performances are from the 2003-04 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
Next Up:
The Show. Stanford, Providence, and Colorado all
enter the meet undefeated. Stanford has been without the services of Sara Bei
since she won the 10/1 Notre Dame Invite, but still fields a deep, talented
squad headlined by two-time NCAA 10,000 champ Alicia Craig. Providence, which features individual
favorite Kim Smith, has no room for error without any team depth and last
year's 5th-place individual finisher Mary Cullen struggled at the
Regional. Colorado has been
coming on all season and may have the momentum going into the championship; the
Buffalos will be led by individual contender Renee Metivier and former NCAA
indoor 5000 champ Sara Gorton-Slattery.
Should any of these favorites falter, Michigan and Duke stand poised to
pick off the pieces.
1. Stanford
2003 NCAA harrier bronze medallist Sara Bei and 2003-2004 NCAA 10,000 champ
Alicia Craig return to lead all seven members back from the 2003 NCAA
championship squad. Joining
two-time Pac-10 champ Bei and 8-time All-American Craig are All-Americans Katy
Totter and Ari Lambie, World Cross Country team member Amanda Trotter, as well
as Jeane Goff and Anita Siraki.
Also returning from the 2003 squad is Teresa McWalters, who ran amongst
the team's scorers in the early season until she was sidelined by
injuries. Footlocker finalists
Katie Harrington and Lindsay Flacks lead an amazing frosh class that includes
national high school steeple record holder Lindsay Allen, Minnesota champ
Shannon Bergstedt, and Maryland champ Lauren Centrowitz.
Despite holding out Bei, Craig, Lambie, and McWalters, the
Cardinal perfect-scored the field (which included UCLA) at the 9/4 USF
Invitational, with Siraki getting the nod as K. Trotter, Bergstedt, Flacks, and
A. Trotter all finished within 2.1 seconds of Siraki. Three weeks later, Stanford won both the long and short
course events at their own 9/25 invite.
In the 4K, Bei smoked the course in 13:16 to lead Bergstedt and K.
Trotter to a 1-2-3 sweep of the field, including SMU's Van Rooyen; that
threesome combined with Centrowitz and Goff for a 54-sec 1-5 split. In the Stanford 6K, Siraki, McWalters,
A. Trotter, and J. Allen claimed 1-2-3-4 over the field and combined with
O'Neil for a 1:43 1-5 split. At
the 10/1 Notre Dame Invite, Bei;s and Craig's 1-3 finish in the deepest invite
of the young season lead the Cardinal to an easy 34-84 win over runner-up
Michigan; Bei smoked the notoriously fast course in 16:22, with Craig in 16:34,
Katy Trotter in 16:52, Siraki in17:02, and Amanda Trotter in 17:08 for a
46-second 1-5 split off one of the best runners in the country. Bergstedt and
Goff covered the course in 17:09 and 17:18 respectively. The Cardinal dominated the Pre-NCAA
Blue race (and the unofficial combined scoring) despite running without Bei; in
Bei's absence, Craig pulled away from the Blue field to win with the 5th
fastest time of the day and led Siraki, K. Trotter, McWalters, and A. Trotter
to a 55-sec spread; Centrowitz and Goff rounded out Stanford's lineup. With Bei again missing from the lineup
at the Pac-10 meet, Craig claimed second to lead Stanford to the win; Craig,
Siraki, A. Trotter, K. Trotter, and McWalters split 57-sec over 6K. Craig, Siraki, McWalters, K. Trotter,
and Goff combined for a 64-sec 1-5 split to lead the Cardinal to victory in the
West Regional.
Returnees: Sara Bei (3rd, 57th '02, 89th '01; '00 FL Champ), Alicia Craig (6th;
3rd '02, 28th '01; '03 & '04 NCAA 10K champ), Katy Trotter (21st; 2nd '02
FL), Ari Lambie (24th, 22nd '02 FL), Amanda Trotter (92nd), Jeane Goff (102nd;
128th '02), Anita Siraki (130th, 110th '02; 2nd '00 FL), Teresa McWalters,
Julie Allen (11th '01 FL)
Newcomers: Lindsay Allen (2:31.1, 4:54.55, 10:35.83, 10:40.62sc NHSR), Shannon
Bergstedt (4:48.58y, 10:24.29y), Lauren Centrowitz (4:53.79y), Lindsay Flacks
(24th FL; 10:24.14), Katie Harrington (4th FL; 4:56.41, 10:36.03), Katie O'Neil
2. Providence
The Friars' 1-2 punch of 2003 NCAA runner-up Kim Smith and 5th-placer Mary
Cullen actually bettered Stanford's amazing duo, and the Friars return their
top 4 and 6 of 7 from their 2003 NCAA bronze medallist squad. Smith dominated the collegiate distance
scene during the spring, setting collegiate records enroute to runaway
victories in the 3000 and 5000 indoors, and added a CR and NCAA title at 5000
outdoors before representing her native New Zealand at the Athens'
Olympics. Cullen, on the other
hand, missed most of the indoor and all of the outdoor season with injuries --
but has already notched a swift run at Van Cortlandt during the 9/11 Fordham
Invite.. Deirde Byrne, Fiona
Crombie, Katie Twarog, and Ashley Jensen also return from last year's 3rd-place
finish in Waterloo.
The Friars dominated with easy wins at their own 9/3 meet as well as the 9/11 Fordham Invite. Providence then easily won the 9/25 Griak Invite, with Smith debuting with and easy win over two-time D-3 champ and Olympi Trials 5000 finalist Missy Buttry. Smith, Cullen (who claimed 4th), Crombie, Byrne, and Twarog split 1:49 over 6K. Smith and Cullen finished 1-2 individually at the 10/16 Penn State meet to lead PC to a win over Duke, West Virginia, Boston College, Cornell, Penn State and 35 other teams; PC recorded a 1:49 1-5 spread off NCAA individual favorite Smith with Crombie, Byrne, and Twarog combining with the front-running duo. Smith smoked the oft-run Franklin Park course in a smoldering 19:23 to lead her team to the Big East title; Smith, Cullen, Crombie, Byrne, and Nalder notched a 2:02 1-5 split for 6K. Smith dominated the Northeast regional, despite pacing a teammate early on as well as reportedly making a wrong turn, while Cullen struggled home in 12th; Providence held off Columbia 54-67, with Smith, Crombie, Cullen, Byrne, and Nalder combining for a 93-sec 1-5 split.
PC needs Cullen at full strength and for Byrne, Nalder, and
Twarog to step up in order to nail down runner-up honors behind Stanford.
Returnees: Kim Smith (NZL; 2nd),
Mary Cullen (IRE; 5th), Deirde Byrne (IRE; 54th), Fiona Crombie (NZL; 72nd),
Katie Twarog (199th), Ashley Jensen (241st)
Newcomers: Jane Nalder (NZL)
3. Colorado
The Buffs finished 5th in Waterloo, thanks to All-American performances by
Renee Metivier and Toedebusch. In addition to Metivier, the 2001 NCAA XC
runner-up while at Georgia Tech, and Toedebusch, Sara Slattery (nee Gordon),
the '03 5K indoor champ, and Natalie Florence, 18th at the '02 NCAA harrier
meet, also return with past All American kudos. The Buffalos also add Foot
Locker finalist Liza Pasciuto and standout Amber Smith. At the Rocky Mountain Shootout,
Metivier, Bolf, Florence, Amber Smith, and Pasciuto combined for a 1:58 split
over the approximately 6K course; the Zeigle twins raced, but were
non-factors. Metivier demonstrated
that she will be a contender for the individual title, winning the Pre-NCAA
white race convincingly with the fastest time of the day to lead the Buffs to
win their race and 2nd in the unofficial combined standings; Metivier combined
with Bolf, Florence, Smith, and Pasciutta for a 81-second 1-5 split. Colorado ran away with the Big 12 meet,
with Metivier, Slattery, and Bolf finishing 1-2-3 and combining with Florence
and Pasciuto for a 81-sec gap.
Metivier solidified her status as an NCAA individual contender, blasting
away from the field over the final kilo to win the Mountain regional by a
20-sec margin and lead her Buffalo teammates to a comfortable win; Metivier,
Slattery, Bolf, Florence, and Pascuito split 64-sec. With this lineup, the Buffs will battle Providence for
second and could give Stanford a run if the Cardinal falters at all.
Returnees: Renee Metivier (15th; 2nd '01), Kalin Toedebusch (38th; 67th '02,
95th '01), Christine Bolf (66th; 186th '02), Laura Zeigle (88th; 3rd '00 FL,
'01 USA Jr Champ), Natalie Florence (138th; 22nd '02, 100th '01), Kendall
Grgas-Wheeler (202nd), Jackie Zeigle (219th; 138th '02, 7th '01 FL); Returning
from Injury: Sara Slattery (nee
Gorton (missed '03 for surgery for posterior tibialis in right leg;10th '01,
8th '00; ind 5k champ, 3rd out 5k), Shanna Sparks, Erika Odlaug (2nd '01 FL;
17th '01 World XC; 10:35.13y '02)
Newcomers: Liza Pasciuto (29th FL), Amber Smith
4. Michigan
Michigan opened with easy wins over Arkansas and West Virginia at the 9/11
Indiana State Invite, Walter, Pizzo, Parker, Feldkamp, and Gaydos combined for
a 78-sec 1-5 spread. At the
non-scoring 9/17 Spartan Invite, they packed Walter, Pizzo, Parker, and Gaydos
into a 38-sec 1-5 split. Michigan
then followed this up with a runner-up team finish to top-rated Stanford at the
10/1 Notre Dame Invite; Walter, Pizzo, Kohlmeier, Parker, and Feldkamp combined
for a 46-second 1-5 gap. Walter
led the Wolverines to 2nd in the Pre-NCAA white race behind Colorado with her
4th-place individual performance; Walter, Parker, Kohlmeier, Pizzo, and Erdman
combined for a 59-sec 1-5 split.
Michigan ran away with the Big 10 title, with Walter, Kohlmeier, Parker,
Erdman, and Feldkamp splitting 53-sec over 6K. The Wolverines notched an easy win at the Great Lakes Regional;
Walter and Kohlmeier finished 1-3 to lead Parker, Feldkamp, and Erdman to a
42-sec 1-5 split.
Returnees: Rebecca Walter (18th, 51st '02, 25th WXCJr),
Sarah Pizzo (52nd), Katie Erdman (120th), Andrea Parker (192nd, 159th '02), Ana
Gjesdal (222nd), Jackie Gaydos, Theresa Feldkamp, Arianne Field,
Newcomers: Alyson Kohlmeier
5. Duke
The Blue Devils finished 20th at the 2003 NCAA championships, with all seven
returning from the NCAA squad: Paige Miller, Sally Meyerhoff, Natasha Roetter,
Lindsay Van Alstine, Laura Stanley, Shannon Rowbury, Phebe Ko and gaining
graduate transfer Ali Henderson, an All-American from regional foe William
& Mary. This fall,
middle-distance specialist Shannon Rowbury has been on fire, winning the first
three meets that she contested. Duke finished a close second to Wake Forest at
the WFU relays, then ran away with the 9/18 Aztec Invite by scoring 18 points
with a 63-sec 1-5 split. Rowbury's
win at Great American helped lift the Blue Devils over the field, with Rowbury,
Meyerhoff, Roetter, Ko, and Henderson combining for a 83-sec 1-5 split. Rowbury suffered her first loss at the
10/16 Penn State Inv to Providence's Kim Smith and Mary Cullen, but given that
the PC duo finished 2-5 at last fall's NCAA champs, there's no shame in that! Rowbury led her team to a close second
to PC at Penn State; she combined with Meyerhoff, Roetter, Ferguson, and Ko for
a 53-sec 1-5 gap over 6K. Duke won
their first-ever ACC title, with Meyerhoff winning and Rowbury, Roetter,
Ferguson, and Ko all placing top-10 and splitting 56-sec for 6K. Despite apparently resting Rowbury,
Meyerhoff, and Ko at the Southeast regional, Duke edged NC State and UNC in a
tight 3-way battle; Clara Horowitz made a seasonal debut to lead Roetter,
Ferguson, Leon, and Miller to a 33-sec 1-5 spread.
Returnees: Paige Miller (80th), Sally Meyerhoff (107th; 163rd '02), Natasha
Roetter (112th), Lindsay Van Alstine (159th), Laura Stanley (177th; 195th '02),
Shannon Rowbury (226th; 119th '02); Phebe Ko (200th)
Newcomers: Ali Henderson (30th; Grad x-fer from William & Mary)
6. Notre
Dame
Despite a sub-par 10th-place effort in Waterloo, Notre Dame returns the
formidable duo of Molly Huddle and Lauren King as well as Stephanie Madia,
Kerry Meagher, and Jean Marinangeli.
Madia led her teammates to an easy win at the 9/17 National Catholic
Inv, with Madia, Olding, Marinangeli, Webster, and DeRusso combining for a
65-sec 1-5 split. The Irish next
claimed third behind top-rated Stanford and regional foe Michigan, with Huddle
splitting Stanford's Sara Bei and Alicia Craig and leading Meagher, Madia,
Olding, and Marinangeli to a 95-sec 1-5 split; Lauren King did not appear.
Lauren King did debut at Pre-NCAAs while Huddle's individual 3rd-place finish
led the Irish to runner-up honors in the Pre-NCAA blue race behind Stanford;
Huddle, Madia, Meagher, Olding, and Lauren King split 74-sec for 6K. Huddle led her team to runner-up honors
at Big Easts, with Huddle, Madia, Olding, Meagher, and Lauren King splitting
74-sec for 6K. Huddle missed the
Great Lakes Regional with what her school's website describes as a "sore
foot"; in her absence, the Irish claimed second and an auto berth, with
Madia, Olding, Meagher, Lauren King, and Marinangeli splitting 63-seconds.
Returnees: Lauren King (28th, 19th '02, 27th '01), Molly Huddle (41st, 6th '02,
4th '01 FL; 15:32.55; 3rd ind/out NCAA 5K), Stephanie Madia (111th, 78th '02,
23rd '01 FL), Kerry Meagher (169th), Jean Marinangeli (240th), Loryn King (76th
'01), Amy Kohlmeier (CAN, 2nd '02 CAN Jr XC)
Newcomers: Sunni Olding (5th FL), Katie DeRusso (10:06 3k),
7. Arizona State
Arizona State claimed a 14th-place finish at last year's NCAA champs. The Sun Devils return seven from last
year's NCAA squad, including All American's Amy Hastings and Desi Davilla, as
well as Anna Masinelli, Corey Randell, Liz Lindgren, Jenna Wrieden, and Jessica
Crate and add North Carolina transfer Victoria Jackson. ASU swept the top six individual places
at their opener at the Dave Murray Inviaitional. The Sun Devils then claimed second behind Providence at the
9/25 Griak Invite, with Hastings, Davila, Jackson, Masinelli, and Ellison
splitting 79-sec over 6K. Hastings
led through 3K in the Pre-NCAA white race before holding on for 3rd behind
Colorado's Metivier and Northern Arizona's Ida Nilsson; Hastings, Davila,
Jackson, Masinelli, and Ellison split 1:43 to grab 3rd in the white section
behind Colorado and Michigan. Amy
Hastings won the Pac-10 meet to lead the Sun devils to runner-up honors behind
Stanford; Hastings combined with Davila, Jackson, Masinelli, and Crate for an
84-sec 1-5 split over 6K. Arizona
State claimed runner-up honors at the West Regional to advance automatically to
the NCAA meet, with Hastings, Davila, Jackson, Masinelli, and Crate splitting
65-sec.
Returnees: Amy Hastings (25th, 92nd '02, 20th '03 WJrXC), Desi Davilla (44th, 150th, 205th '01), Anna
Masinelli (87th, 157th '02), Corey Randell (168th), Liz Lindgren (188th, 223rd
'02), Jenna Wrieden (220th), Jessica Crate (252nd)
Newcomers: Victoria Jackson (Grad x-fer from North Carolina)
8. North Carolina State
The Wolfpack claimed 6th at the NCAA Championships and return Julia Lucas,
Kristina Roth, Josi Lauber, and Amy Arnold from that squad. NC State only ran a partial squad in
the ROC at 10/1 Great American and finished 6th behind Duke, North Carolina,
Georgia, BYU, and D-II powerhouse Adams State; Nelkie, Swain, Lauber, Wheeler,
and Brown split 29-seconds, with Boyd and Roth a few seconds behind. However, in the open race, Julia Lucas
paced teammates Angelina Blackmon and Amy Kelly (all three running unattached,
along with Magin Kebert and Christina Fidducia) to top-5 times for NC State --
and it appeared to be a tempo-like effort for Lucas. Lucas claimed ninth in the Pre-NCAA white race to lead her team
to 4th behind Colorado, Michigan, and Arizona State; Lauber, Nelkie, Kelly, and
Swain combined with Lucas for a 61-sec 1-5 split for 6K. The Wolfpack finished third at ACCs
behind Duke and UNC; Lucas, Roth, Lauber, Kebert, and Swain splitting 54-secs for
6K. NC State claimed an auto berth
at the Southeast regional, finishing 2nd behind Duke and ahead of UNC; Lucas,
Roth, Blackmon, Swain, and Lauber combined for a 51-sec 1-5 split.
Returnees: Julia Lucas (79th; 205th '02, '03 WXC), Kristina Roth (86th; 65th
'02), Josi Lauber (97th; 70th '02, 173rd '01), Amy Arnold (142nd), Sara Powell
(inj '03; 21st '02 FL), Jennifer Boyd ('02 VA champ), Ginger Wheeler, Erina
Swain (16:56), Kelly Brown
Newcomers: Angelina Blackmon (32nd
FL), Magin Kebert (4:27/9:51)
9. Missouri
The Tigers finished 12th last fall at the NCAA meet. All-American Amanda Bales leads the returnees, which include
Serena Ramsey, Jill Petersen, Valerie Lauver, and Kristin Hansen, while Foot
Locker finalist Maddie Schueler appears to be making an immediate impact. The Tigers opened with a win at the
9/11 Missouri Challenge, with Peterson, Schueler, Ramsey, Patten, and Bales
splitting 32-seconds. Mizzou won
the 9/18 Woody Greeno Invite, with Schueler, Petersen, Kate Greer, Kate Bundy,
and Lauver combining for a 59-sec 1-5 split over 6K. The Tigers finished fourth behind Stanford, Michigan, and
Notre Dame at the 10/1 Notre Dame Invite, with Bales, Ramsey, Petersen, Hanson,
and Patten splitting 57 seconds, with frosh Schueler finishing a tick behind
Patten. Bales, Peterson, Ramsey,
Schueler, and Hanson split 1:47 for the Pre-NCAA blue race to give Mizzou 4th
behind Stanford, Notre Dame, and UNC.
The Tigers claimed 2nd at Big 12s behind Colorado, with Bales, Ramsey,
Petersen, Lauver, and Schueler splitting 43-secs over 6K. Mizzou ran away with the Midwest
Regional, with Ramsey, Petersen, Lauver, Bales, and Hansen splitting 29-sec.
Returnees: Amanda Bales (23rd; 53rd '02), Serena Ramsey (51st; 172nd '02), Jill
Petersen (94th), Valerie Lauver (117th; 54th '02, 8th '01 FL; USA Jr WXC),
Kristin Hansen (210th), Kate Bundy, Kate Greer
Newcomers: Maddie Schueler (28th FL)
10. North Carolina
Eighth at the 2003 NCAA harrier meet, the Tarheels return six of their top
seven but will definitely feel the loss of team leader Shalane Flanagan,
two-time individual NCAA champ.
UNC easily dominated their 9/18 UNC Challenge, with Erin Donohue and
Carol Henry finishing together and combining with Meghan Owen, Jennie Sucher,
and Jessica Perry for a 71-sec 1-5 split.
Henry's and Donohue's 2-3 finish at Great American was not enough to
over come Duke's depth at the 10/1 Great American with the Tar Heel's falling
to 2nd, with Henry, Donohue, Owen, Sucher, and Perry splitting 74-seconds. UNC finished 3rd in the Pre-NCAA blue
race off Henry's individual runner-up honors; Henry, Donohue, Owen, Schmidt,
and Sucher split 76-sec for 6K.
The Tarheels claimed runner-up team honors at ACCs behind Duke, with
Henry and Donohue finishing 2-3 and combining with Schmidt, Sucher, and Owen
for a 80-sec spread over 6K. UNC
finished 3rd in a tight 3-way at the Southwest Regional; Henry and Donahue
finished 1-2 and led Schmidt, Owen, and Boykin to a 97-sec 1-5 spit; Sucher had
an apparent off day.
Returnees: Carol Henry (7th, 38th '01; '02 7th s/c, 3rd '01 s/c), Erin Donohue (31st, 91st '02, 60th '01), Megan Kaltenbach (157th; 20th '02 FL), Meghan Owen (170th, 8th '02 FL), Kristin Stroupe (195th), Jessica Perry (248th)
11. Brigham
Young
BYU's Cougars won NCAA harrier crowns in 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2002, but met
their Waterloo in, well, Waterloo last November when they succumbed to Stanford
in a close, hard-fought battle.
However, following the unfortunate season-ending accident to team leader
Kassi Anderson (suffered a broken left elbow and broken left hip when run over
by a trailer in a September 4 mountain bike vs vehicle accident), Cougar mentor
Patrick Shane will need to work some magic to return four-time BYU to the top
of the podium in 2004. Laura
Turner, Suzanna (nee Larsen) Logan, Lisa Antonelli-Pratt, and Amber Harper all
return from last year's silver medal winning squad along with Rena
Williams-Chessar who ran at regionals and Mountain West, while sophomores Anne
Heiner, Lisa Frischnecht, and Julie Cameron hope to step up to help continue
BYU's legacy. Newcomer Heidi
Magill has been an immediate contributor.
Heiner led the Cougars at the 9/3 Alumni Classic, while Chessar ran away with the 9/11 Autumn Classic. Laura Turner debuted at Great American to lead a BYU squad sans Logan, Harper, and Antonelli-Pratt (the latter of which ran fast enough in the Open race to make BYU's top 5) to fourth behind Duke, North Carolina, and surprising Georgia; Turner combined with Chessar, Magill, Heiner, and Caldwell for a 78-second 1-5 spread. Turner claimed 4th in the Pre-NCAA blue race to lead the Cougars to 5th behind Stanford, Notre Dame, UNC, and Missouri; Turner, Chessar, Magill, Caldwell, and Harper split 89-sec for 6K; Logan also debuted, but was 33-secs behind Harper. BYU continued its streak as the only team to ever win the Moutain West conference; Turner took the individual title and combined with Chessar, Magill, Harper and Caldwell for a 88-sec 1-5 split over 6K. BYU claimed runner-up honors behind Colorado at the Mountain Regional; Turner led Magill, Chessar, Harper, and Cameron to a 72-sec split.
Returnees: Laura Turner (14th; 26th '99, 31st '98), Suzanna
Logan (89th), Amber Harper (109th; WXC), Lisa Antonelli-Pratt (113th), Rena
Williams-Chessar, Anne Heiner, Lisa Frischnecht, Julie Cameron, Jenna Taylor;
Injured, out for 2004 season: Kassi Anderson (7th '02)
Newcomers: Heidi Magill (2:08.74, 4:56.17alt)
12. Southern
Methodist
SMU appears to be rocketing up the polls this fall not even fielding a team at
the SC regional in 2003. Karin Van
Rooyen advanced individually to the NCAA champs, where she placed 64th. The Mustangs opened with a win at the
9/11 North Texas Invite over Baylor, then SMU claimed 2nd in the 9/25 Stanford
4K behind the hosts, but ahead of UCLA, with a 55-sec spread between the
4th-place Van Rooyen, Forish, Jackson, Kelleher, Collins. SMU ran away with the Murray Keating
Invite, with Van Rooyen winning to lead Forish, Jackson, Kelleher, and Collins
to a 46-sec 1-5 split. SMU beat
Arkansas by 9 points at the 10/16 Chili Pepper Festival; Van Rooyen, Kelleher,
Forish, Jackson, and Rodriquez combined for a 73-sec 1-5 split. SMU ran away with the WAC title, with
Van Rooyan, Forish, Kelleher, Collins, and Jackson splitting 54-sec over
5K. Despite running with Forish,
the Mustangs placed 4 in the top-10 at the South Central Regional to win and
secure an auto berth; Van Rooyan, Jackson, Kelleher, Collins, and Rodriquez
split 80-sec.
Returnees: Karin Van Rooyen (South
Africa; 64th), Rachel Collins, Jessica Jackson,
Newcomers: Rachael Forish (13th FL); Nicole Kelleher (x-fer from Dartmouth),
Krystal Rodriquez (9th FL South)
13. Michigan
State
The Spartans opened at home with a non-scoring meet against Michigan on 9/17;
standout frosh Danette Doetzel, a member of this year's Canadian junior squad
at the World Cross Country Champs, won the event ahead of Michigan's Walter,
with Kelly, Mush, Raffery, and Senakiewich combining with Doetzel for a 88-sec
1-5 split over 6K. Michigan State
then claimed 5th behind Stanford, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Missouri, with
Doetzel claiming 6th and leading Kelly, Rafferty, Bush, and Senakiewich to a
61-sec 1-5 spread. Doetzel
continued her excellent fall season, claiming 6th in the Pre-NCAA race to lead
the Spartans to 5th behind Colorado, Michigan, Arizona State, and NC State;
Doetzel, Kelly, Rafferty, Ballard, and Bush combined for a 1:40 spread over
6K. Michigan State finished in a
tie for second at Big-10s with Illinois behind Michigan; Doetzel continued her
standout frosh year to run away with the loop title and combined with Kelly,
Senaiewich, Raffery, and Ballard for a 1:41 spread over 6K. Doetzel's regional runner-up finish led
the Spartans to third and an at large berth; Doetzel combined with Kelly,
Rafferty, Forsyth, and Bush for a 68-sec 1-5 spread.
Returnees: Natalie Stein (164th,
173rd '02, 147th '01), Brittany Ballard (187th, 240th '02), Michelle Rafferty
(232nd), Leigha Christian
Newcomers: Danette Doetzel (CAN WXCJr), Katie Kelly, Nicole Bush, Lisa
Senakiewich
14. Tennessee
The Lady 'Vols claimed 24th last year in Waterloo, then came out swinging this
fall. Tennessee opened with a win
at the 9/11 Bowling Green Invite.
At the 9/25 Paul Short Invite, Tennessee notched a 43-sec 1-5 spread
consisting of Novak, Cauble, Guliford, Flaute, and McCalley to win over
Villanova. The Lady 'Vols next
edged Tennessee-Chattanooga at the 10/1 Tennessee Invite, with Novak, Cauble,
Flaute, Matthews, and Sullivan combining for a 96-sec 1-5 split and Guliford
and McCalley apparently sitting out.
Guilford really stepped up at Pre-NCAAs to claim 12th in the white race
leading Tennessee to 6th behind Colorado, Michigan, Arizona State, NC State,
and Michigan State; Guilford, Novak, Flaute, McCalley, and Cauble combined for
a 56-sec spread over 6K. Tennessee won a close SEC meet over Arkansas and
Georgia; Guliford combined with McCalley, Flaute, Matthews, and Cauble for a
tight 35-sec 1-5 split; Novak struggled with asthma problems and didn't score
for the Lady 'Vols. Tennessee then
claimed a 4th-consectutive automatic berth to the NCAA champs with a win at the
South Regional; Novak, McCalley, Guliford, Flaute, and Cauble split 42-seconds.
Returnees: Brooke Novak (58th; 103rd '02), Elizabeth McCalley (155th; 250th
'02), Megan Cauble (166th; 164th '02), Katie Flaute (178th), Mindy Sullivan
(200th; 17th '01 FL), Nicole Cook (249th), Felicia Guliford (246th '02; 6th '01
FL),
15. West
Virginia
West Virginia's Mountaineers finished fifth in their region in 2003. All American Megan Metcalfe and
standout Tara Struyk will lead West Virginia. Beat Pitt, Duquesne & St. Joe at the 9/4 Duquesne Duals
without Struyk, Plesuk & Kemp, then finished 3rd at the 9/11 behind
Michigan and Arkansas, with Metcalfe winning and combining with J. Davis, Kemp,
S. Davis, and Plesuk for a 1:49 1-5 gap.
The Mountaineers claimed 7th at the 9/25 Griak meet behind Providence,
Arizona State, UCSB, Baylor, Arkansas, and Butler; Megan Metcalfe, Tara Struyk,
Jennifer Davis, Jennifer Kemp, and Susan Davis combined to split 2:00 for
6K. West Virginia finished 3rd
behind Providence and Duke at the 10/16 Penn State invite; Metcalfe, J. Davis,
S. Davis, Kemp, and Carden combined for a 2:01 1-5 split. The Mountaineers finished 5th at the
Big East meet behind Providence, Notre Dame, Villanova, and Georgetown;
Metcalfe combined with Davis, Davis, Kemp, and Plesuk for a 57-sec 1-5 split
over 6K. West Virgina stepped
things up to win the Mid Atlantic regional, placing four in front of regional
runner-up Villanova's 2nd runner; Metcalf, J. Davis, Struyk, S. Davis, and Kemp
split 1:27.
Returnees: Megan Metcalfe (70th,
9th '02), Tara Struyk (32nd), Jennifer Davis, Jennifer Kemp, Susan Davis,
Colleen Hughes, Rachel Carden
Newcomers: Nicole Lemal
16. Columbia
Columbia claimed 13th last year in Waterloo. The Lions return Lisa Stublic, Tenke Zoltani, Delilah
DiCresenzo, and Loretta Kilmer from last fall's NCAA meet lineup. Columbia claimed third at the 9/25 Paul
Short Invite behind Tennessee with Zoltani leading Ballard, DiCresenzo, Laura
Meyers, and Kilmer to a 37-sec 1-5 split.
The Lions finished 11th in the Pre-NCAA blue race, with Zoltani,
DiCresenzo, Ballard, Stublic, and Meyers splitting 71-sec for 6K. Caroline Bierbaum debuted in the Lions'
varsity lineup and led DiCresenzo, Stublic, Ballard, and Bontz to a 60-sec
scoring spread and an upset win over Princeton. Columbia continued to improve at regionals and finished 2nd
to Providence 54-67, with Bierbaum claiming fourth individually and leading
Zoltani, Stublic, Bontz, DiCrescenzo, and Ballard splitting 1:50 (1-4 split of
63-sec).
Returnees: Lisa Stublic (93rd, 144th '02), Tenke Zoltani (156th; 142nd '02), Delilah DiCresenzo (162nd), Loretta Kilmer (179th; 48th '02, 163rd '01), Trish Nolan (inj in '03, 62nd '02, 165th '01), Caroline Bierbaum
17. UC Santa
Barbara
The Gauchos finished 29th last fall in their first-ever team appearance at the
NCAA champs and returned all seven from that squad. UCSB claimed a strong 3rd at the 9/25 Griak meet, with
Lauren and Lindsay Christman, Leek, Rothstein, and Smith splitting 60-seconds
over 6K. The Gauchos claimed 8th
in the Pre-NCAA white race behind Colorado, Michigan, Arizona State, NC State,
Michigan State, Tennessee, and Villanova; Lauren Christman, Leek, Rothstein,
Lindsay Christman, and Smith split 54-sec over 6K. UCSB won the Big West meet, with the Lauren and Lindsay
Christman finishing 1-2 individually; the Christmans combined with Rothstein,
Smith, and Lewis for a 40-sec 1-5 splt; Leek was not in the lineup at
conference. The Gauchos finished
3rd at the West Regional behind Stanford and Arizona State, but garnered an
at-large berth; Lauren Christman, Rothstein, Leek, Smith, and Lindsay Christman
split 37-sec.
Returnees: Lauren Christman
(83rd), Cosette Smith (110th), Stephanie Rothstein (123rd), Lindsay Chistman
(186th), Megan Lewis (234th), Seanna Martin (245th), Desiree Leek (246th)
18. Villanova
Villanova claimed 11th at last year's NCAA meet. All-Americans Marina Muncan (17th) and Ioana Parusheva
(19th) return to lead the Wildcats and are joined by Juliette Kenny, Colleen
Taylor, Kirsty Smith from that squad, as well as Liz Gesel and Zita Mezei. Foot Locker 9th-placer Frances Koon is
making an immediate impact for the Wildcats. 'Nova claimed second to Tennessee in their season opener at
the 9/25 Paul Short meet running without Parusheva; in her absence, Muncan
claimed individual runner-up honors to lead Muncan, Mezei, Koons, Taylor, and
Gesel to a 1:32 1-5 spread. Parusheva debuted at Pre-NCAAs to help the Wildcats
to 7th in the white race behind Colorado, Michigan, Arizona State, NC State,
Michigan State, and Tennessee; Muncan, Parusheva, Taylor, Gesel, and Koons
combined for a 93-sec spread over 6K.
'Nova claimed 3rd behind Providence and Notre Dame at Big Easts; Muncan,
Parusheva, Taylor, Gesel, and Akard combined for an 83-sec 1-5 split for
6K. The Wildcats were upset by
West Virginia at the Mid Atlantic Regional 63-68, with regional bronze medalist
Muncan leading Parusheva, Gesel, Taylor, and Smith to a 74-sec 1-5 split.
Returnees: Marina Muncan (Serbia;
17th, 35th '02), Ioana Parusheva (BUL; 19th, 44th '02, 209th '01), Juliette
Kenny (136th), Colleen Taylor (174th), Kirsty Smith (194th; 227th '02), Zita
Mezei, Liz Gesel (116th '02), Bridget Akard,
Newcomers: Frances Koon (9th FL), Brittney Criscuolo
19. Arkansas
The Arkansas Lady Razorbacks finished 3rd at regionals in 2003 and missed the
NCAA championships, a fate they hope to avoid in 2004. The Lady 'Backs will be led by Shilo
Whiting, Erica Sigmont, and Penny Splichal this season. Foot Locker finalist Beth Fahey will
help bolster their lineup.
Arkansas opened with a runner-up performance to Michigan at the 9/11
Indiana State Invite, with Zeinner-Rush, Scott, Smith, Saffa, and Splichal
splitting 38-seconds. The Lady
'Backs next claimed 5th behind Providence, Arizona State, UCSB, and Baylor at
the 9/25 Griak Invite, with Zeinner-Rush, Smith, Jakosky, Whiting, and
Redlarczyk splitting 46-seconds over 6K.
Arkansas fell just 9 points short of SMU at their 10/16 Chili Pepper
Invite; Zeinner-Rush, Scott, Whiting, Splichal, and Jakosky split 46-seconds
for 6K. Arkansas fell to Tennessee
but edged Georgia in a tight 3-way SEC battle; Zeinner-Rush, Scott, Jakosky,
Smith, and Gordon combined for a 49-sec 6K 1-5 split. The Lady 'Backs claimed runner-up honors to SMU and an auto
berth at the South Central Regional; Zeinner-Rush, Scott, Jakosky, Gordon, and
Whiting split 24-sec.
Returnees: Shilo Whiting (163rd; 131st '02, '02 USA Jr s/c champ), Erica
Sigmont (171st '02), Penny Splichal (75th '01), Maureen Scott (NCAA s/c
qualifier), Allison Zeiner-Rush (NCAA 10K qualifier), Laura Jakosky (NCAA 10K
qualifier), Sarah Saffa (2nd USA Jr 5000), Tiffany Redlarczyk
Newcomers: Beth Fahey (27th FL; 4:57/10:40), Dacia Barr (2:11/4:56)
20. Georgia
Third at the South regional and 2nd in the SEC in 2003, the Bulldogs look for
an NCAA berth in 2004. Kelly
Cordell (55th) returns to lead Georgia.
The Bulldogs won the 9/18 Gator Invite before claiming 3rd at the 10/2
Great American behind Duke and North Carolina and ahead of understrength BYU
and NC State teams; Jill Steffens, Lauren Burks, Whitni Wonderlin, Kristin
Heffelfinger, and Natalie Picchetti split 52-seconds at Great America. Georgia claimed 6th in the Pre-NCAA
blue race behind Stanford, Notre Dame, UNC, Missouri, and BYU; Steffens, Burks,
Picchetti, Wonderlin, and Heffelinger combined for a 67-sec 1-5 split over
6K. Georgia finished 3rd to
Tennessee and Arkansas in a tight 3-way battle at SECs; Steffens led Wonderlin,
Burks, Picchetti, and Heffelfinger to a 77-sec 1-5 6K split. The Bulldogs claimed an auto-qualifying
runner-up finish to Tennessee at the South Regional; Steffens, Wonderlin,
Burks, Picchetti, and Heffelfinger 64-sec 1-5 split.
Returnees: Jill Steffens, Whitni Wonderlin, Lauren Burks,
Kristen Heffelfinger
Newcomers: Natalie Picchetti, Sarah Madebach
21. Illinois
Last fall, Cassie Hunt was Illinois' only representative at the NCAA champs,
finishing 201st. Hunt won the 10/1
Bradley Invite to lead Illinois to a 16-point win over the field; Hunt, Jamie
Turilli, Maggie Carroll, Stephanie Simms, and Lindsey Rue for 64-sec spread
over 6K. Hunt finished 7th in the
Pre-NCAA white race to lead her teammates to 11th; Hunt combined with Turilli,
Simms, Carroll, and Hernandez to a 1:55-sec 1-5 split. Hunt and Turilli finished 5-6 at
Big-10s to lead Illinois to a tie for second with Michigan State; Hunt Turilli,
Carroll, Hernandez, and Volling split 73-seconds over 6K. Hunt won the Midwest Regional to lead
her teammates to runner-up honors and an auto berth at NCAAs; Hunt, Turilli,
Hernandez, Carroll, and Simms to a 77-sec 1-5 spread.
Returnees: Cassie Hunt (201st), Jaime Turilli, Tabitha Volling, Stephanie
Simms, Lindsey Reu
Newcomers: Maggie Carroll, Rachel Hernandez,
22. Princeton
All-American Cack Ferrell returns to lead Carrie Strickland, Marian Bihrle, and
Meredith Lambert back from the Princeton squad that claimed 9th last fall in
Waterloo. Ferrell appears to
returned to form with a 10th-place individual effort in the Pre-NCAA blue race
to lead the Tigers to 7th behind Stanford, Notre Dame, UNC, Missouri, BYU, and
Georgia; Ferrell led Swenson, Lambert, Bihrle, and Andrews to a 96-sec split
over 6K. Princeton fell to rival
Columbia 51-64 at the Heps, with Ferrell, Lambert, Swensen. Strickland, and
Bihrle combining for a 60-sec 1-5 split.
The Tigers claimed 3rd and an at-large berth at the Mid Atlantic
Regional behind West Virginia and Villanova; Ferrell, Lambert, Swenson, Bihrle,
and Strickland split 70-sec.
Returnees: Cack Ferrell (22nd), Carrie Strickland (122nd), Marian Bihrle
(124th), Meredith Lambert (175th)
23. Wake
Forest
The Deacons claimed 21st last fall in Waterloo. Wake Forest downed Marquette, Boston College, and the rest
of the field at the 9/25 Iona Meet of Champions; Selina Sekulic led Hanna
Bremler, Melissa Sherman, Chrisman, and Michelle Sikes to a 28-sec 1-5 split
over 6K. The Deacons finished 9th
in the Pre-NCAA white race; Bremler, Sekulic, Sikes, Sherman, and Hankinson
split 90-sec for 6K. Wake Forest
finished 4th at ACCs behind Duke, UNC, and NC State, with Sekulic, Sikes,
Chrisman, Bremler, and Miller combining for a 72-sec 1-5 split over 6K. The Deacons finished 4th at the
Southeast Regional behind Duke, NC State, and UNC; Sekulic, Sikes, Bremler,
Chrisman, and Miller split 63-sec.
Returnees: Annie Bersagel (33rd,
25th '02, 57th '01), Erin Franklin (84th, 120th '02), Michelle Sikes (90th;
15th '02 FL), Rachel Mistur (207th), Selina Sekulic (208th)
Newcomers:
24. Indiana
Indiana finished 27th in Waterloo and returns Mindy Peterson, Kelly Siefker,
Kristin Whitezell, Larra Overton,
, Julie Shields, and Heidi Crowley from that squad. Jessica Gall led IU to 8th in the Pre-NCAA blue race with
her 15th-place individual effort; Gall, Siefker, Peterson, Whitezell, and
Hattendorf split 81-sec for 6K.
Indiana finished 5th at Big 10s behind Michigan, Michigan State,
Illinois, and Minnesota; Gall claimed 3rd individually to lead Witezell,
Siefker, Overton, and Peterson to a 1:51 split over 6K. The Hoosiers then claimed 4th at Great
Lakes Regional behind Michigan, Notre Dame, and Michigan State; Gall,
Whitezell, Siefker, Hattendorf, and Overton split 73-sec.
Returnees: Mindy Peterson (46th; 59th '02), Kelly Siefker (139th; 247th '02),
Kristin Whitezell (215th), Larra Overton (227th), Julie Shields (229th), Heidi
Crowley (237th)
25. Idaho
The Vandals finished 6th in the West last year, the first team not to advance
to Waterloo. Idaho opened with an
easy win at home before winning the 9/18 Sundodger Invite over host Washington;
in Seattle, the Vandals grouped Bevin Kennelly, Mandy Macalister, Mary Kamau,
Tania Vander Meulen, and Letiwe Marakurwa into a 16-sec 1-5 over 6K. Idaho came out on top of the Huskies
again at the 10/2 Willamette Invite, where Kamau won to lead Marakurwa,
Macalister, Kennelly, and Olson to a 24-sec 1-5 gap. In their first real test of thet season, the Vandals claimed
9th in the Pre-NCAA blue race; Marakurwa, Kamau, Macalister, Vander Meulen, and
Olson combined for a 46-sec 1-5 split.
Idaho claimed runner-up honors to USCB at the Big West meet, with Kamau,
Macalister, Kennelly, Marakurwa, and Olson splitting 30-secs over 6K. The Vandals claimed 4th and an at large
berth at the West Regional; Marakurwa, Kamau, Kennelly, Macalister, and Olson
combined for a 42-sec 1-5 split.
Returnees: Letiwe Marakurwa (ZIM;
9:52.98 s/c 4th at 2003 NCAA; '02 Big West XC Champ), Tania Vander Meulen (CAN; redshirt 2003; 16th '02 NCAA West
Region; 10:27 s/c; 3rd '02 Big West XC),
Mandy Macalister (CAN; 17:05/37:05; CAN WXCJr Team), Dee Olson (4:29 1500m); Bevin Kennelly
(CAN; 2x CAN Jr s/c champ); Alisha Murdoch (2:12 800m); Mary Kamau (4:17 1500
NCAA qualifier; 800/1500 Big West Champ)
Newcomer: Juliane Smith (11:03 3200m, Alaska State Runner-up 800m, 1600m,
3200m)
26. Colorado State
Nicole Feest, Michelle Carmen, Crystal Clark, Colleen Blair, and Sarah McKay
return from the squad that claimed 28th in Waterloo. The Rams finished 10th in the Pre-NCAA white race; Feest,
Sarah Loseke, Carmen, Blair, and Rebekah Yetzer split 74-sec for 6K. Colorado State claimed runner-up honors
behind perennial champs BYU at the Mountain West Conference meet; Danielle Krob
combined with Carmen, Feest, Pudwell, and Blair for a 46-sec spread over
6K. The Rams finished 3rd at the
Mountain Regional behind Colorado and BYU and garnered an at large berth; Krob,
Feest, Carmen, Pudwell, and Blair for a 50-sec split.
Returnees: Nicole Feest (106th), Michelle Carmen (141st), Crystal Clark
(160th), Colleen Blair (173rd), Sarah McKay (217th)
27. Oklahoma
State NON-QUALIFIER
The Cowgirls won the 9/4 Tulsa Invite and 10/9 Triton Invite. OK state claimed third behind Colorado
and Missouri at the Big-12 champs, with Kuncova, Davies, Prowse, Medina, and
Tomankova splitting 83-secs. The
Cowgirls claimed 3rd at the Midwest Regional behind Missouri and Illinois, but
will only be represented by Mary Davies at the NCAA meet; Davies, Medina,
Prowse, Kuncova, and Blomkvist split 76-sec.
Returnees: Barbara Kuncova, Michelle Prowse, Valentina Medina,
Newcomers: Mary Davies, Eva Tomankova
28. Baylor
The Bears finished 25th last fall in Waterloo. The Bears opened with a 2nd place effort to SMU at the 9/11
North Texas Invite, then claimed 4th behind Providence, Arizona State, and UCSB
at the 9/25 Griak meet; Brockman, Ortega, Hagans, McGuire, and Bedell split
75-sec over 6K at Griak. Baylor
finished 14th in the Pre-NCAA blue race; Brockman, Chance, Ortega, Bedell, and
McGuire split 1:37 sec for 6K.
Baylor fell to 4th in the Big 12s behind Colorado, Missouri, and
Oklahoma State; Brockman, Ortega, Chance, Bedell, and Hagans split 59-sec for
6K. The Bears claimed 3rd and an
at large berth at the South Central Regional; Brockman, Ortega, Chance, Bedell,
and McKaig split 57-sec.
Returnees: Lisa
Cornelius (104th), Angela Marvin (125th; '03 USA Jr s/c champ), Monique Ortega
(151st), Brittany Brockman (181st; '04 WXC), Jessa Chance (214th)
Newcomers: Alissa McKaig (20th FL), Lindsey Bedell (16th USAJr)
29. Georgetown
The Hoyas claimed 16th at last fall's NCAA meet, but were hard hit by
graduation. Nicole Lee and Jodee
Adams-Moore return with NCAA experience to lead the Hoyas. Georgetown finished 2nd to Duke at home
on 9/11 with only a partial squad.
Running without Adams-Moore, the Hoyas could only claim 5th behind
Tennessee, Villanova, Columbia, and William & Mary; Lee led Maggie Infield,
Erin Henry, Melissa Grelli, and Sabine Knothe to a 81-sec spread over 6K. Lee led Georgetown to second behind
Texas Tech at the 10/2 Cowboy Jamboree, again without Adams-Moore; Lee combined
with Infield, Grelli, Otstott, and Henry for a 62-sec 1-5 split. Nicole Lee finished 9th in the Pre-NCAA
blue race to lead her teammates to; Lee combined with Infed, Henry, Knothe, and
Grelli for a 1:45 split over 6K.
The Hoyas claimed 4th at Big Easts behind Providence, Notre Dame, and
Villanova; Lee combined with Infed, Henry, Grello, and Funk for a 1:45 split
over 6K. Lee and Infield both
finished top-10 at the Mid Atlantic regional, but it wasn't enough pull
Georgetown into an auto berth and the Hoyas finished 4th behind West Virginia,
Villanova, and Princeton; Lee, Infield, Henry, Grelli, and Adams-Moore split
1:42.
Returnees: Nicole Lee (119th; 68th
'02, 84th '01; '01 US World XC Team), Jodee Adams-Moore (132nd; 88th '02, 112th
'01), Kelley Otstott, Sabine Knothe
Newcomers: Melissa Grelli (15th FL), Maggie Infed, Jenny Funk
30. Washington
The Huskies opened the season with loses to Idaho both at home on 9/18 and at
the 10/2 Willamette Invite.
Washington finished 16th in the Pre-NCAA white race, with Dallon
Williams, Lindsey Egerdahl, Angela Wishaar, Kira Harrison, and Brianna Mcleod
splitting 69-sec. The Huskies
claimed 3rd at the Pac-10 championships behind Stanford and Arizona State;
Williams, Egerdahl, Wishaar, Halverson, and Lawrence combined for a 56-sec 1-5
split. Washington finished 5th at
the West Regional behind Stanford, Arizona State, UCSB, and Idaho, but was
"pushed" into the meet thanks to UCLA's at-large points; Egerdahl,
Williams, Wishaar, Lawrence, and Halverson split 48-sec.
Returnees: Dallon Williams, Lindsey Egerdahl, Angela Wishaar, Laura Halverson,
Meghan Lawrence, Jamie Gibbs, Marie Foushee
OTHER QUALIFYING TEAMS RECEIVING VOTES:
--. Marquette
Marquette claimed runner-up honors at the 9/25 Iona Meet of Champions, with
Jodi Jakubek leading Peller, Lindeman, S. Emond, and T. Emond to a 34-second
1-5 spread. Marquette then won the
10/2 Loyola Lakefront Invite, with Jakubek winning the race. Marquette claimed
13rd in the Pre-NCAA blue race; Jakubek, Lindeman, Peller, S. Emond, and T.
Emond split 51-sec for 6K. Jakubek
led her teammates to a win at the Conference USA champs, with Jakubek,
Lindeman, Edmond, Sauer, and Emond splitting 78-sec over 6K. Marquette claimed 5th at the Great
Lakes Regional behind Michigan, Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Indiana;
Jakubek, Peller, Courtney, S. Edmond, and Lindeman split 29-sec.
Returnees: Brianna Dahm (60th),
Jodi Jakubek (69th, 98th '02), Michaela Courtney (145th), Susie Edmond (205th,
244th '02), Heidi Lindeman (213th), Terri Edmond,
--. Butler
Butler could only claim 9th at last year's Great Lakes regionals, but looks to
contend for a NCAA berth in 2004. Victoria Mitchell, Ava Hutchinson, Monica
Behney, Genni Gardner, and Monika Schneider split 81-sec for 6K at the 9/25
Griak Invite to claim 6th behind Providence, Arizona State, UCSB, Baylor, and
Arkansas. Butler then finished 8th
at the 10/1 Notre Dame Invite behind Stanford, Michigan, Notre Dame, Missouri,
Michigan State, William & Mary, and UCLA, with Mitchell, Behney,
Hutchinson, Schneider, and Beitel combining for a 74-sec 1-5 split. Butler claimed 12th in the Pre-NCAA
blue race; Mitchell, Behney, Hutchinson, Schneider, and Gardener split 62-sec for
6K. Mitchell's win led her
teammates to the Horizon league title, with Mitchell combining with Behney,
Hutchinson, Scneider, and Stuckey for a 57-sec 1-5 split over 5K. Butler claimed 6th at the Great Lakes
Regional behind Michigan, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Indiana, and Marquette
despite an off day by team leader Mitchell; Hutchinson, Schneider, Stucky,
Mitchell, and Gardner split 51-sec.
Returnees: Victoria Mitchell, Ava Hutchinson, Monica Behney, Monika Schneider,
Maria Beitel, Katie Stuckey
Newcomers: Genni Gardner
--. UCLA
UCLA claimed 7th at last fall's NCAA champs in Waterloo. All-American Ashley Caldwell (36th)
leads 5 back from that squad, including Camen Winat, Jenna Timinsky, '04 USA
Junior champ Alision Costello, and Allison Hall. The Bruins finished 3rd at the 9/25 Stanford 4K behind
Stanford and Southern Methodist; Costello, Timinsky, Caldwell, Rothenburger,
and Hall combined for a 41-sec 1-5 split.
UCLA next claimed 7th at the 10/1 Notre Dame Invite behind Stanford,
Michigan, Notre Dame, Missouri, Michigan State, and William & Mary, with
Costello, Timinsky, Caldwell, Halls, and Barrientos combining for a tight
30-sec 1-5 split. Caldwell and
Costello led the Buins to 10th in the Pre-NCAA blue race; Caldwell and Costell
combined with Rothenburger, Aulet-Leon, and Timinsky for a 23-sec 1-5
split. UCLA fell to 4th at the
Pac-10 meet behind Stanford, Arizona State, and Washington; Costello, Timinsky,
Rothenburger, Aulet-Leon, and Caldwell combined for a 24-sec 1-5 split. The Bruins finished 6th at the West
Region meet behind Stanford, Arizona State, UCSB, Idaho, and Washington, but
had enough at large points to "push" Washington into an NCAA berth;
Costello, Aulet-Leon, Caldwell, Timinsky, and Hall split 21-sec.
Returnees: Ashley Caldwell (36th),
Camen Winat (121st, 207th '02), Jenna Timinsky (140th, 206th '02), Alision
Costello (153rd; '04 USA Jr Champ), Allison Hall (190th, 224th '02), Alejandra
Barrietos
Newcomers: Claire Rethmeier (14th FL), Monika Rothenburger