Analysis of the 2006 NCAA Division I Women's Cross
Country Coaches' Poll
by Mike Scott,
University of Rhode Island
Updated: 13 November
For the 9th year (with
a layoff in 2005), I am analyzing the Women's Division I Coaches' Poll. Teams are listed according to their ranking
in the current edition of the NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY NATIONAL
POLL, as conducted by the United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches
Association.
Notes: Places listed
in parentheses refer to finish at the 2005 NCAA D-1 XC Championships at Indiana
State University, unless otherwise noted.
Performances are from the 2005-06 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
THE TOP THIRTY TEAMS
1. STANFORD
Top-rated
Stanford won their third NCAA Cross Country title last fall and return their
entire squad. All-Americans Arianna
Lambie, Katy Trotter, Lindsay Flacks, Lauren Centrowitz, Teresa McWalters, and
Amanda Trotter will lead the squad, and
are joined by returnees Lindsay Allen, Shannon Bergstedt, Katie Harrington,
Alicia Follmar, Mary Liz McCurdy, Leah Sawyer and Maddy O'Meara. Newcomers
include Kate Niehaus, Anne St. Geme, Kelsey Walker and Kaylin Pennington. The Cardinal opened their season with a
"B" squad claiming second at the UC Aggie Open on Sept. 9. At their own Sept. 30 Cardinal Invitational,
Stanford edged NAIA #1 Simon Fraser 33 to 34 in the 4K, with Allen, Pennington,
McCurdy, Sawyer, and O'Meara combining for a 63-sec 1-5 split. Stanford dominated the 6K race, with Lambie
winning and K. Trotter, A. Trotter, Flacks, and Harrington combining for a
31-sec 1-5 gap. The Cardinal then
destroyed the competition at Pre Nats, accumulating a mere 45 points
(2-4-5-8-26) in the Blue race with Lambie, McWalters, A. Trotter, K. Trotter,
and Flacks combining for a 29-sec 1-5 spread (12-sec 1-4!) over 6K, with
Follmar only 4 more seconds behind and either Harrington, Niehaus (1st
open race), or Centrowitz (3rd open race) enough to easily win the
meet. Stanford dominated Pac-10s, with
Lambie, the Trotters, and McWalters packing it in 10-secs for 1-4 over 6K; with
Flacks apparently resting, Centrowitz was 5th for the Cardinal giving them a
40-sec 1-5 spread. Stanford dominated
the West Regional despite not running McWalters; Lambie repeated as regional
champ, K. Totter claimed second and A. Trotter fourth, with Flacks and Niehaus
contributing for a 65-sec 1-5 spread.
2. ARKANSAS
Arkansas
claimed 19th at last fall's NCAA meet and return Christine Kalmer (102nd),
Dacia Barr (134th), Kelly Vrshek (140th), and Denise Bargiachi (162nd). Newcomers include Brooke Upshaw, Dani Parry,
and Miranda Walker. Kalmer, Barr,
Upshaw, Parry, Walker, and Bargiachi ran together at the Sept. 8 Arkansas
Invite to score 15 points. At the Sept.
16 Aztec Invite, Upshaw, Bargiachi, Parry, Walker, and Barr combined for 20 points and a 21-sec 1-5
spread over 5K. Parry, UpShaw, Barr,
Bargiachi, and Kalmer combined for a 15-sec 1-5 spread over 6K at the Bill
Dellinger meet to down BYU, Wake Forest, Washington, Duke, Butler, and
Indiana. Arkansas notched easy wins
over Duke, Texas Tech, VaTech, and Baylor at Chili Pepper, with Upshaw, Kalmer,
Bargiachi, Barr, Parry splitting 18-sec over 6K. The Lady 'Backs dominated the SEC champs, with Upshaw, Barr, and
Kalmer finishing 1-2-3 and combining with Parry and Bargiachi for 7-sec 1-5
spread over 6K. Arkansas continued their tight pack running, notching an easy
win at the South Central Region off an amazingly tight NINE-second 1-5 spread
by Kalmer, Barr, Upshaw, Bargiachi, and Walker (Parry and Harper were only 6
seconds behind Walker!!).
3. NORTH CAROLINA STATE
NC
State finished 14th last season at the NCAA harrier meet and return their top
four from that team, as well as track All-American Julia Lucas, who missed the
2005 campaign while recoving from burns suffered in a house fire. Returning with NCAA experience are Jemissa
Hess (68th), Magin Kebert (75th), Angelina Blackmon (106th), Brittany Tinsley
(133rd). Newcomer Bona Jones was a Foot
Locker finalist and Florida state
champ, while Kara McKenna won the NY indoor 1500 and finished 11th at
Footlocker Northeast. Lucas won the
Sept. 15 Raleigh Invite leading Anne Wheatley, Amy Kelly, Jessie Yester, and
Georgia Davis to an easy win and a 93-sec 1-5 spread; Tinsley, newcomer Bona
Jones, and Angela Blackmon competed unattached and if added to the lineup, the
Pack would have had a 35-sec 1-5 split over 5K. NC State finished second to Michigan but ahead of Providence,
Florida State, and Illinois at the Sept. 29 Notre Dame Invite, with Jones,
Tinsley, Lucas, and Blackmon running a tight 1-4 pack (24-sec), but then waiting
another 26-sec for freshman Kara McKenna.
Lucas won the Pre-Nats White race to lead the Wolfpack to a team win;
Lucas, Tinsley, Jones, Blackmon, and Wheatley split 76-sec over 6K. Lucas also won the ACC meet to help NC State
win the title; Lucas combined with Jones, Tinsley, Blackmon, and Wheatly for a
1:47 1-5 spread over 6K. NC State and
Lucas both notched wins at the Southeast Regional; Lucas combined with Jones,
Tinsley, Blackmon, and Wheatly for a 75-sec 1-6 gap over 6K.
4. MICHIGAN STATE
Michigan
State claimed 30th last fall in Terre Haute and returns Michelle
Rafferty (124), Lisa Senakiewich (147), Katie Kelly (156), Jennifer Hamilton
(215), and Emily Adama (245), while Alissa McKaig transferred from Baylor. The Spartans finished 5th at the Griak
Invite behind UCSB, Arizona State, Baylor, and Arizona; McKaig, Rafferty,
Kelly, Bush, and Price split 84-sec for 6K.
Michigan State placed 6th in the Pre-NCAA Blue race behind
Stanford, Minnesota, Arizona State, BYU, and Providence; McKaig, Rafferty,
Bush, Kelly, and Price combined for a 76-sec 1-5 spread over 6K. The Spartans claimed 4th at the Big Ten
Champs behind Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, with McKaig, Rafferty, Bush,
Kelly, and Price splitting 1:59 over 6K.
Michigan State pulled off a surprise win at the Great Lakes Regional,
upsetting Wisconsin (2nd) and Michigan (3rd); McKaig, Rafferty, Bush, Kelly,
and Price split 58-sec over 6K for their tightest 1-5 spread of the year.
5. ILLINOIS
Illinois
finished 5th at the 2005 NCAA champs and returns all 7 from their nationals
lineup with Cassie Hunt (11th), Stephanie Simms (37th), Katie Engel (64th),
Maggie Carroll (84th), Katie Coppin (87th), Rachel Hernandez (110th), and Liz
Mengyan (155th) back. Ohio prep champ
Angela Bizzarri leads the newcomers.
Hernandez, Mengyan, Brokaw, Juhl, and Bennett split 71-sec for the top 5
at the Sept. 15 Illini Challenge.
Bizzarri won the Sept. 22 Brissman-Lunden Invite, with Simms, Baliga,
Hunt and Carroll combining with her for a 42-second 1-5 split over 6K. Illinois claimed 5th at the Sept. 29 Notre
Dame Invite behind Michigan, NC State, Providence, and Florida State, with
Bizzarri, Hunt, Simms, Carroll, and Baliga splitting 45-secs over 5K. The Illini finished 5th in the
Pre-NCAA White race behind NC State, Wisconsin, Michigan, and UCSB; Bizzarri,
Simms, Baliga, Hunt, and Carroll combined for a 68-sec 1-5 spread over 6K. Illinois finished 5th at the Big Ten champs
behind Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan State; Bizzarri, Simms,
Baliga, Hunt, and Carroll combined for an 89-sec 1-5 spread over 6K. The Illini then won the Midwest Regional,
with Bizzarri, Simms, Carroll, and Hunt splitting 43-sec over 6K.
6. COLORADO
Colorado
returns two members of the squad that claimed runner-up honors behind Stanford:
Two-time All-American Liza Pascuito (9th, 13th '04) and NCAA steeple champ
Jenny Barringer (43rd), who will also be joined by Amber Smith (78th '04) who
missed the '05 campaign due to a
medical redshirt. Joining them will be
2004 Footlocker champ Aislinn Ryan, Wisconsin state champ Claire Maduza, Idaho state champ Hilary McClendon, and
Colorado state runner-up Emily Hanenburg.
Although the team ran the CU Time Trial on Labor Day weekend, the Buffs
didn't really open until they raced the Sept. 30 Rocky Mountain Shootout where
they dominated the field. Barringer and
Pascuito finished 1-2 to lead CU to an easy win over the field, which included
cross state rivals Colorado State, Adams State, and Western State. Barringer and Pascuito combined with Maduza,
Ryan, and Marston for a 58-second 1-5 gap over 5.8K. The Buffs finished 6th in the Pre-NCAA White race
behind behind NC State, Wisconsin, Michigan, UCSB, and Illinois; Barringer,
Pascuito, Ryan, Maduza, and Marston split 1:41 for 6K. Colorado won the Big 12 champs, with
Barringer, Pascuito, Maduza, Ryan, and Martson splitting 85-sec for 6K. The Buffs then won the Mountain Region, with
Barringer, Pascuito, Ryan, Maduza, and Martson splitting 70-sec for 6K.
7. UC SANTA BARBARA
With
a significant number of their top runners redshirting in 2005, UCSB failed to
advance to the NCAA Championships.
However, the Gauchos returned in 2006 with a vengence winning the Sept.
23 Griak Invitational. Seniors
Stephanie Rothstein and Lauren Christman finished 1-2 at Griak, with Lindsay
Christman claiming 6th and Bethany Nickless and Liza Hitchner combining for a
1:22 1-5 spread over 6K. UCSB claimed 4th
in the Pre-NCAA White race behind NC State, Wisconsin, and Michigan, with the
Christman sisters, Rothstein (off day?), Moser, and Domenichelli splitting
64-sec for 6K. The Gauchos won the Big
West champs, with Lauren Christman, Lindsay Christman, Domenichelli, Moser, and
Lewis splitting 1:30 over 6K. UCSB
claimed second at the West Regional behind Stanford, with Lauren Christman,
Lindsay Christman, Rothstein, Lewis, and Domenichelli splitting 56-sec over 6K.
8. WISCONSIN
Wisconsin
finished 20th at the 2005 NCAA Champs, with Katrina Rundhaug (36th), Alicia
Pabich (111th), Amanda Granser (167th), A'Havahla Haynes (205th), and Ashley
Benson (211th) returning with NCAA experience. Newcomers include Hanna Ginaker
(7th FL) and Maggie Hippman.
Wisconsin finished second to Princeton by a single point at the Sept 29 Paul Short Inv but downed
Tennessee and Villanova, with Grinaker, Rundhaug, Haynes, Post, and Hippman
combining for a 49-sec 1-5 split. The
Badgers tied Michigan for second (but
win on the tie-breaker) behind NC State in the Pre-NCAA White race, with
Grinaker, Rundhaug, Haynes, Post, and Hippman combining for a 77-sec 1-5 gap
over 6K. Wisconsin edged Minnesota by a
single point at Big Ten's to claim second behind Michigan; Ginaker, Rundhaug,
Haynes, Benson, and Hurley combined for an 83-sec 1-5 gap over 6K. The Badgers claimed second at the Great
Lakes regional behind surprising Michigan State; Ginaker, Rundhaug, Haynes,
Hurley, and Hippman split 55-sec over 6K.
9. MINNESOTA
Minnesota
claimed 9th at the 2005 NCAA harrier meet, returning Ladia Albertson-Junkans
(21st), Emily Brown (29th), Katie Howery (209th), and Julie Schwengler (217th)
from their NCAA lineup. Two-time Minn.
prep champ and 2x Foot Locker Finalist Liz Yetzer joins the squad. Brown, Ladia Albertson-Junkans, Yetzer,
Cheever, and Dorniden split 1:52 for 6K as they swept the top spots at the
Sept. 9 Oz Memorial. The Gophers placed
4th at the Sept 23 Griak Invite behind UCSB, Arizona State, and Baylor, with
Brown, Ladia Albertson-Junkans, Cheever, Yetzer, and Laskowske combining for a
91-sec 1-5 spread. Minnesota swept the
top four places at the Sept. 30 South Dakota State Classic, with Brown, Ladia
Albertson-Junkans, Yetzer, Cheever, and Dorniden splitting 50-sec over 5K. The Gophers claimed second behind Stanford
in the Pre-NCAA Blue race, with Brown, Albertson-Junkans, Yetzer, Cheever, and
Anderson combining for 65-sec 1-5 split over 6K; Laskowske was only 1 more sec
behind Anderson. Minnesota lost a
narrow 1-point battle with Wisconsin for runner-up honors at Big Tens behind
Michigan; Brown, Albertson-Junkas, Cheever, Anderson, and Yetzer split 64-sec
for 6K. The Gophers finished a close
second to Illinois at the Midwest Regional on their home course; Brown,
Albertson-Junkas, Cheever, Anderson and Yetzer split 48-sec over 6K.
10. MICHIGAN
Michigan
returns Alyson Kohlmeier (59th), Nicole Edwards (72nd), Arianne Field (145th), Erin Webster (172nd)
, Claire Otwell and gains NCAA All-American Katie Gwyther (12th), a grad
transfer from Quinnipiac, and Michigan state runner-up Jenny Morgan. The Wolverines opened their season by placing
six runners in the top 10 at the non-scoring Indiana Open on Sept. 9, with
Webster winning by a big margin; Webster combined with Gwyther, Edwards, Field,
and Otwell for a 67-sec 1-5 split over 5K.
Michigan next won the Sept. 16 Sundodger Invite, with Webster winning
again and Edwards, Kohlmeier, Field, and Morgan combining for a 66-sec 1-5 gap
over 6K. Webster won her third straight
race at the Sept. 29 Notre Dame Invite to lead the Wolverines to victory, with
Kohlmeier, Edwards, Field, and Otwell combining for a 38-sec 1-5 spread over
5K; according to Michigan's website, Gwyther missed the meet due to
illness. Michigan tied Wisconsin for
second (but loses on the tie-breaker) behind NC State in the Pre-NCAA White
race, Webster, Kohlmeier, Field, Uible, and Otwell split 71-sec for 6K, with
Gwyther 1 more sec behind and Edwards just two more ticks behind Gwyther. Michigan dominated the Big Ten meet, with
Webster and Kohlmeier finishing 1-2 and combining with Edwards, Field, and
Otwell for a 69-sec 1-5 spread over 6K.
The Wolverines fell to third at the Great Lakes Region behind Michigan
State and Wisconsin despite a surprising individual win by Edwards; off days by
Big Ten Champ Webster (55 sec behind Edwards at the Region meet) and Big Ten
runner up Kohlmeier (1:55 behind Edwards) left the scoring five of Edwards,
Webster, Field, Otwell, and Glynn splitting 72-sec.
11. ARIZONA STATE
Arizona
State claimed the 4th-place trophy last year in Terre Haute, but graduated four
of their top five. Returning for the
Sun Devils are All American Jenna Kingma (42nd), Cassie Rios (146th), and Corey
Randall (185th). Arizona State swept 8
of the top 10 spots at the Sept. 15 Dave Murray Invite, with Kingma, Hardt,
Kielty, Rios, and Bennett splitting 16-seconds over 4K. The following week, the Sun Devils placed
second to UCSB at the Sept 23 Griak Invite with Kingma, Rios, Duke, Kielty, and
Bennett splitting 21-sec over 6K.
Arizona State claimed 3rd in the Pre-Nats Blue race behind
Stanford and Minnesota, with Kingma, Rios, Kielty, Bennett, and Duke combining
for a 62-sec 1-5 spread over 6K. The
Sun Devils claimed runner-up honors behind Stanford at Pac-10s, with Rios,
Bennett, Kingma, Kielty, and Duke splitting 40-sec for 6K. ASU claimed third behind Stanford and UCSB
at the West Regional, with Kingma, Rios, Bennett, Kielty, and Hardt combing for
a 43-sec 1-5 gap over 6K.
12. DUKE
Duke,
which spent much of last season atop the rankings, returns three from its NCAA
3rd place squad including Natasha Roetter (51st), Laura Stanley (69th), Whitney
Anderson (71st). Also returning with
NCAA experience are Tiare Ferguson and Lindsay Van Alstine, while Maddie
McKeever was on the US team at World Cross Country. Emily McCabe is a grad transfer from Cornell. McCabe and McKeever led the Blue Devils with
a 1-2 finish at the Sept. 16 JMU Invite, with Roetter, Sherrard, and Patterson
combining for a 1:54 1-5 split. Duke
finished 5th at the Sept. 29 Bill Dellinger Inv behind Arkansas, BYU, Wake
Forest, and Washington with McCabe finishing third overall, while McKeever, Van
Buskirk, Pishny, and Sherrard combined for a 1:49 1-5 spread. Duke claimed second behind Arkansas at Chili
Pepper, with McCabe, McKeever, Van Buskirk, Pishney, and Anderson splitting
86-sec over 6K. The Blue Devils
finished second to NC State at ACCs; McCabe, McKeever, Stanley, Pishny, and Van
Buskirk combined for a 79-sec 1-5 gap over 6K. Duke narrowed the gap on NC
State at the Southeast Regionals, claiming second to their ACC rivals by a
relatively small 9 point margin, McCabe, McKeever, Stanley, Van Buskirk, and
Pisjney split 80-sec over 6K.
13. TEXAS TECH
Texas
Tech finished 8th at the NCAA Mountain Regional in 2005. Texas Tech won the Sept 30 Murray Keating
Invite, with Kipyego, Kimaiyo, Chemakwila, Kipsang, and Diaz combining for a
97-sec 1-5 gap over 5K. The Raiders
were only 2 points behind 2nd place Duke at the Chili Pepper Invite,
with Kipyego, Kimaiyo, Chemakwila, Diaz, and Kipsang splitting 2:37 for
6K. Texas Tech finished second to CU at
the Big 12 Champs; Kipyego won the race by 45-sec over NCAA steeple champ
Barringer (CU) and combined with Kimaiyo, Chemakwila, Kipsang, and Diaz for a
2:23 1-5 gap over 6K. The Raiders
claimed runner-up honors at the Mountain Region behind Colorado; Kipyego -- who
looks like a legitiment contender for the individual NCAA title -- combined
with Kimaiyo, Kipsang, Chemakwila, and Diaz for a 2:33 1-5 spread (1:28 of that
between Kipyego and Kimaiyo).
14. PRINCETON
Princeton
placed 11th at last fall's NCAA meet and return six from that squad, with Catha
Mullen (62nd), Mia Swenson (122nd), Jolee VanLeuven (141st), Susanne Andrews
(170th), Caroline Mullen (181st), and Katie Gose (202nd) all back in the
lineup. Penn. state champ and
Footlocker finalist Liz Costello should lead the newcomers. The Tigers won their own Sept. 9 invite with
essentially a "B" team, Glencer, Costello, Johnson, McTague, and
Filloux combined for a 32-sec 1-5 split.
Swenson, Johson, Costello, Cara Mullen, and Kiernan combined for a
26-sec 1-5 5K split. Princeton
dominated the annual H/Y/P Tri meet, with Glencer and McTague within 5 more
seconds. The Tigers narrowly edged
Wisconsin for the win at Sept 29 Paul Short, with Swenson, Costello, Johnson,
McTague, and Kiernan combining for a 45-second 1-5 gap over 6K. Princeton claimed 9th in the
Pre-NCAA Blue race behind Stanford, Minnesota, Arizona State, BYU, Providence,
Michigan State, Florida State, and Florida; Swenson, VanLeuven, Johnson,
Mullen, and McTague split 54-sec for 6K.
The Tigers won the Heps meet, with Johnson, Costello, Van Leuven, and
the Mullen sisters splitting 24-sec for 5K.
Princeton won the Mid-Atlantic Regional, with Swenson, Van Leuven, Glencer, and Costello splitting
38-sec over 6K.
15. GEORGIA
Georgia
finished 31st in Terre Haute last fall, returning Kiah Vernon (114),
Jill Steffens (121), Sarah Madebach (194), Rebekah Madebach (241), and Nicole
DeMarco (252) from that squad. The Lady
Bulldogs placed 8th at the Notre Dame Invite behind Michigan, NC
State, Providence, Florida State, Illinois, Weber State, and Florida, with
Steffens, Picchetti, S. Madebach, Heffelfinger, and DeMarco split 66-sec for
5K; Vernon was a DNF. Georgia claimed
10th in the Pre-NCAA White race behind NC State, Wisconsin,
Michigan, UCSB, Illinois, Colorado, Tennessee, Georgetown, and Iona;
Heffelfinger, Steffens, Picchetti, and the Madebach sisters split 2:22 (22-sec
1-4 split) for 6K, with only five runners finishing (Vernon and DeMarco were
DNFs). Georgia narrowly edged Tennessee
for second at the SEC champs behind Arkansas; Steffens, Heffelfinger,
Picchetti, Vernon, and Madebach combined for a 50-sec 1-5 spread over 6K. The Lady Bulldogs then ran away with the
South Regional, with Steffens, Heffelfinger, Pichhetti, and Madebach finishing 3-4-6-7
and combining with Vernon for a 31-sec 1-5 gap over 6K.
16. BOSTON COLLEGE
Boston
College placed 18th last fall at the NCAA champs, with Mallory
Champs, Nicole Lister, Kristen Coon, and Nicola Tufts returning. The Eagles finished second to Iona at the
Sept. 30 Meet of Champions, with Lister, Coon, Tufts, Champa, and Flinn
splitting 37-sec for 6K. BC finished 12th
in the in the Pre-NCAA Blue Race behind Stanford, Minnesota, Arizona State,
BYU, Providence, Michigan State, Florida State, Florida, Princeton, Iowa, and
Virginia; Lister, Tufts, Champa, Chabot, and Coon combined for a 35-sec 1-5
spread over 6K. The Eagles finished
seventh at the ACC champs, with Champa, Lister, Chabot, Coon, and Tufts
splitting 93-sec over 6K. BC then
surprised with a win at the Northeast Regional, downing Iona and Providence
with Champa, Lister, Coon, Flinn, and Chabot splitting 51-sec over 6K.
17. BRIGHAM YOUNG
BYU
has won 4 NCAA titles in the last decade, but fell to 8th place at last fall's
NCAA championships in a rare "off year". The Cougars return five athletes from last fall's NCAA meet,
Heidi Magill (39th), Breanne Sandberg (83rd), Amy Fowler (99th), Anne Heiner
(139th), and Anne Marie Thomas (158th); Amber Duffin also returns from last
year and appears to be having a breakthough year. 2003 NCAA steeple champ Kassi
Andersen, a eight-time All American, returns to the lineup after recovering
from a bike accident that left her with a broken hip. Newcomers include
Southern Utah transfers Tawny Bybee and Heidi Houle. BYU opened the season by running "B" teams at home and
at Great American, but unleashed most of their top runners at the Sept. 29 Bill
Dellinger meet where Andersen won comfortably, while Fowler and Duffin also
claimed top 10 finishes; the trio combined with Sandberg and Heiner for a
95-sec 1-5 spread. Another Cougar
"B" team won the Oct. 7 Disney Classic, with Heiner, Frischknecht,
Jensen, Ingebretsen, and Porter combining for a 20-sec 1-5 split over 5km. BYU finished 4th in the Pre-NCAA
Blue race behind Stanford, Minnesota, and Arizona State, with Anderson, Duffin,
Fowler, Sandberg, and Heiner splitting 1:37 over 6K. The Cougars won the Mountain West Conference meet, with Anderson
winning and leading Duffin, Fowler, Sandberg, and Heiner to a 73-sec 1-5
spread. BYU fell to third behind CU and
Texas Tech at the Mountain Regional; Anderson, Duffin, Sandberg, Jensen, and
Bybee combined for a 74-sec 1-5 spread over 6K, while Fowler is reported by
BYU's site to have gone down halfway with an injury while Heiner had an
apparent off day.
18. GEORGETOWN
Georgetown
finished 27th at last fall’s NCAA harrier meet, returning Maggie
Infeld (101), Elizabeth Maloy (144), Lise Ogrodnick (174), Joanna Rodgers
(203), Kim Malcolm (233), and Sabine Knothe (238). Georgetown won the Sept 30 Colonial Interregional, with Maloy,
Grelli, Infeld, Funk, and Collins splitting 92-sec for 6K. The Hoyas claimed 8th in the
Pre-NCAA White race behind NC State, Wisconsin, Michigan, UCSB, Illinois,
Colorado, and Tennessee; Maloy, Grelli, Infeld, Rodgers, and Funk combined for
a 78-sec 1-5 split over 6K. Georgetown
claimed runner-up honors behind PC at the Big East Champs, with Malor, Grelli,
Funk, Bontz, and Laneaud combining for a 63-sec 1-5 gap over 6K. The Hoyas finished second behind Princeton
at the Mid-Atlantic Regional; Mallor, Grelli, Infield, Bontz, and Rodgers
combined for a 1:05 1-5 gap over 6K.
19. IONA
Iona
claimed 6th at last fall’s NCAA Northeast Regional, the best finish
in the program’s history. NCAA indoor
and outdoor 5000 qualifier Salome Kosgei, 2004 NCAA 5000 outdoor fourth place
finisher Emmily Chelanga, and US junior national team member McKayla Plank will
lead the Gaels. Iona won their own Sept
30 Meet of Champions, with Kosgei, Plank, and Chelenga leading Michelle
Gallagher and Nicole Soblosky to a 83-sec 1-5 split over 6K. The Gaels then claimed 9th in the
Pre-NCAA White race behind NC State, Wisconsin, Michigan, UCSB, Illinois,
Colorado, Tennessee, and Georgetown; Plank led the way in 6th
individually, with Kosgei, Chelenga, Treacy Williams, and Simeson combining for
a 1:44 1-5 spread over 6K. Iona cruised
through the MAAC champs, with Kosgei winning, Chelenga and Plank finishing
together, and Gallagher and Simeson helping the Gaels to split 39-sec over
6K. Iona finished second to Boston
College at the Northeast Regional, with Kosgei winning and Plank, Chelenga,
Gallagher, and Williams combining for a 1:48 1-5 spread over 6K.
20.
VIRGINA TECH
Virginia
Tech finished 12th at the 2005 NCAA Southeast Regional. The Hokies finished second to Georgetown at
the Sept. 30 Colonial Interregional, with Sherbak, Gentles, T. Fanning, J.
Fanning, and MacPherson combining for a 98-sec 1-5 gap over 6K. VaTech claimed 4th at the Chili
Pepper Invite behind Arkansas, Duke, and Texas Tech; Gentles, Sherbak, Clark,
J. Fanning, and T. Fanning split 55-sec for 6K. The Hokies finished 5th at the ACC meet behind NC State, Duke,
UVa, and Florida State; Sherbak, Clark, Gentles, J. Fanning, and T. Fanning
combined for a 53-sec 1-5 spread over 6K.
VTech claimed third at the Southeast Regional behind NC State and Duke;
Gentles, Clark, T. Fanning, Sherbak, and J. Fanning split 28-sec over 6K.
21. PROVIDENCE
Providence
claimed 16th at last fall's NCAA meet, with Meghan Owen (88th), Aine Hoban
(108th), Katie DiCamillo (143rd), and Michelle Childs (232nd) returning from
that squad. The Friars also gain
Danette Doetzel (12th '04) a transfer from Michigan State who finished 14th at
the 2005 World Junior Cross Country champs.
PC easily downed UNH on Sept 2, with DiCamillo, Hoban, Doetzel, Trefz,
and Dougals combining for a 46-sec 1-5 split over 5K. The Friars then downed Boston College and Yale at the Sept. 15 BC
Invite with Hoban, DiCamillo, Trefz, Twohiq, and Douglas splitting 32-seconds
over 5K. PC next finished third at the
Sept. 29 Notre Dame Invite behind Michigan and NC State and ahead of Florida
State and Illinois with Doetzel leading Hoban, Owen, DiCamillo, and Twohiq to a
20-sec 1-5 spread over 5K. The Friars
claimed 5th in the Pre-NCAA Blue race behind Stanford, Minnesota,
Arizona State, and BYU; Doetzel, DiCamillo, Twohig, Hoban, and Douglas split
65-sec (1-4 split of 25-sec) over 6K; Owen was missing from their
finishers. PC dominated the Big East
meet, with Hoban, Doetzel, DiCamillo, Twohig, and Douglas splitting 62-sec 1-5
spread. PC fell to third at the
Northeast Regional behind Boston College and Iona when Coach Treacy rested Owen
and Doetzel DNF'd; Hoban, DiCamillo, Douglas,Twohig and Treftz combined for a
1:47 1-5 split over 6K (Doetzel finishing where she did at Big East between
Hoban and DiCamillo would have given PC a 20-point winning margin over BC).
22. COLORADO STATE
Colorado
State placed 4th last fall at the NCAA Mountain Regionals. The Rams claimed second to Colorado at the
Rocky Mountain Shootout, with Feest, Thomas, Korb, Hemphill, and Anthony
splitting 71-sec for 5.8K. CSU finished
11th in the Pre-NCAA White race behind NC State, Wisconsin,
Michigan, UCSB, Illinois, Colorado, Tennessee, Georgetown, Iona, and Georgia;
Feest, Thomas, Korb, Loseke, and Anthony combined for a 73-sec 1-5 split over
6K. Colorado State finished second to
BYU at the Mountain West championships, with Feest, Thomas, Anthony, Korb, and
Loseke combining for a 54-sec 1-5 gap over 6K.
The Rams claimed fourth at the Mountain Region behind Colorado, Texas
Tech, and BYU; Thomas, Feest, Anothony, Korb, and Loseke split 36-sec for a 1-5
spread.
23. FLORIDA
Florida
claimed 7th at the Notre Dame Invite behind Michigan, NC State,
Providence, Florida State, Illinois, and Weber State, with Kruzel, Sundell,
Nawrocki, Johnson, and Kramer combining for a 29-sec 1-5 gap over 5K. The
Gators placed 8th in the Pre-NCAA Blue race behind Stanford,
Minnesota, Arizona State, BYU, Providence, Michigan State, and Florida State,
with Sundell, Geissler, Johnson, Kramer, and Nawrocki splitting 39-sec for
6K. Florida placed 4th at SECs behind
Arkansas, Georgia, and Tennessee; Sundell, Kruzel, Johnson, Kramer, and Geissler
combined for a 58-sec 1-5 spread over 6K.
The Gators claimed the second auto spot in the South Region behind
Georgia, with Sundell, Geissler, Johnson, Kramer, and Kruzel splitting 37-sec
over 6K.
24. IOWA
The
Hawkeyes appear to have exploded onto the scene this fall. Iowa's Diane Nukuri, a transfer from Butler
County CC where she won nine NJCAA titles, leads the squad along with NCAA
indoor Mile All-American Meghan Armstrong. The Hawkeyes opened with an easy win
at their Sept. 9 Hawkeye Open, with Nukuri leading Armstrong, Shannon Stanley,
Krista Anderson, Racheal Marchand to a 42-sec 1-5 split over 3K. Iowa then dominated a weak field at the
Sept. 30 Auburn Invite, with Nukuri, Armstrong, Stanley, Burke, and Marchand
splitting 52-sec over 5K, with an extremly fast average of 16:43 for their top
5. An off day by Nukuri and Stanley
left Iowa placing 10th in the Pre-NCAA Blue race behind Stanford,
Minnesota, Arizona State, BYU, Providence, Michigan State, Florida State,
Florida, and Princeton; Armstrong, Marchand, Nukuri, Anderson, and Stanley
combined for 75-sec 1-5 gap over 6K.
Iowa finished 6th at the Big Ten meet behind Michigan, Wisconsin,
Minnesota, Michigan State, and Illinois; Armstrong, Marchand, Nukuri, Anderson,
and Burke split 92-sec over 6K. The
Hawkeyes claimed third at the Midwest Region behind Illinois and Minnesota off
a win by Nukuri, who returned to form after apparent off days at Pre-NCAAs and
Big 12s; Nukuri combined with Armstrong, Marchand, Schmidt, and Anderson for a
2:02 1-5 spread over 6K.
25. TENNESSEE
Tennessee
claimed 28th at the 2005 NCAA harrier meet and returns Felicia Guliford (58th),
Katie Flaute (113th), Leah Soro (119th), Sarah Bowman (231st), and Rolanda Bell
(243rd). At the Sept. 29 Paul Short
meet, the Lady Vols finished 3rd behind Princeton and Wisconsin, but ahead of
Villanova and Yale; Flaute, Areson, Van Horn, Bowman, and Parrish split 51-sec
for 6K. Tennessee claimed 7th
in the Pre-NCAA White race behind NC State, Wisconsin, Michigan, UCSB,
Illinois, and Colorado, with Flaute, Bowman, Areson, Van Horn, and Parrish
combining for a 53-sec 1-5 spread over 6K.
Tennesse lost a close meet to Georgia at the SEC champs, finishing third
behind Arkansas and Georgia; Bowman, Flaute, Areson, Van Horn, and Soro split 39-sec
over 6K. The Lady Vols finished third
at the South Region behind Georgia and Florida, with Van Horn, Areson, Flaute,
Bowman, and Guilford splitting 37-sec over 6K.
26. WEBER STATE
Weber
State finished fifth in the Mountain Region in 2005 and returns NCAA qualifier
and USATF junior steeple bronze medallist Katie Bowen (81st); Bowen was listed
in an early season release as recovering from a foot injury but she did compete
at in an early season race. The Wildcats claimed sixth at the Notre Dame Invite
behind Michigan, NC State, Providence, Florida State, and Illinois; Anderson,
Bouwhuis, Stubbs, Ricks, and Long split 44-sec over 5K. Weber State finished 13th in the
Blue Race at Pre-NCAAs, with Anderson, Haws, Bouwhuis, Long, and Stubbs
combining for a 57-sec 1-5 gap over 6K.
The Wildcats won the Big Sky championships despite their top runner
Anderson struggling with a bad cold and not scoring; Long, Bouwhuis, Haws,
Stubbs, and Ricks split 32-sec over 5K.
Weber State claimed fifth at the Mountain Regional behind Colorado,
Texas Tech, BYU, and Colorado State; Anderson, Boushuis, Stubbs, Haws, and Long
split 50-sec over 6K.
27. VIRGINIA
Virginia
placed 26th at last fall’s NCAA championships, with Emily Harrison,
Kara Scanlin, Laura Hodges, Katie Read, Lauretta Dezubay, Jennifer Dolson, and
Janine Ricci returning. The Cavaliers
finished 6th at the Roy Griak Invite behind UCSB, Arizona State,
Baylor, Minnesota, and Michigan State, with Harrison, Scanlin, Read, Hodges,
and Dezubay combining for 99-sec 1-5 gap over 6K. UVa claimed 11th in the Pre-NCAA Blue Race behind
Stanford, Minnesota, Arizona State, BYU, Providence, Michigan State, Florida
State, Florida, Princeton, and Iowa; Harrison, Scanlin, Read, Hodges, and Ricci
split 88-sec for 6K. The Cavaliers
finished third at ACCs behind NC State and Duke, with Harrison, Read, Scanlin,
Hodges, and Stafford splitting 1:59 over 6K. UVa claimed 4th at the
Southeastern Regional behind NC State, Duke, and VTech; Harrison, Scanlin,
Read, Hodges, Dezubay combined for a 1:41 1-5 gap over 6K.
28. BUTLER (NON-QUALIFIER FOR NCAAs)
Butler
claimed 24th at last fall’s NCAA champs, returning Jenni Pereira,
Ava Hutchinson, Kara Henry, Genni Garder, and Maria Beitel. The Bulldogs claimed 7th at the
Roy Griak meet behind UCSB, Arizona State, Baylor, Minnesota, Michigan State,
and Virginia, with Holme, Hutchinson, Gardner, Pereira, and Shiell combining
for a 91-sec 1-5 spread over 6K. Butler
placed 6th at the Sept. 29 Bill Dellinger Invite behind Arkansas,
BYU, Wake Forest, Washington, and Duke, with Holme, Pereira, Gardner,
Hutchinson, and Shiell splitting 65-sec for 6K. The Bulldogs finished 12th in the Pre-NCAA White race behind NC
State, Wisconsin, Michigan, UCSB, Illinois, Colorado, Tennessee, Georgetown,
Iona, Georgia, and Colorado State; Hutchinson, Pereira, Holme, Shiell, and
Gardner split 63-sec for 6K. Butler
dominated the Horizon League meet, with Hutchinson, Pereira, Gardner, and Holm
finishing 1-2-3-4 and combining with Henry for a 48-sec 1-5 gap over 5K. Butler claimed fourth at the Great Lakes
Regional behind Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Michigan; Hutchinson, Periera,
Holme, Gardner, and Shiell split 72-sec over 6K. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to earn the Bulldogs an
at-large berth.
29. FLORIDA STATE
Florida
State failed to qualify for the 2005 NCAA champs, but looks to contend for a
top 10 finish this year. Laura Bowerman
(127th) returns with NCAA experience.
Huss (9:20/16:29), Parker (10:13sc), Crate (9:55/17:01), Hagan (17:12),
and D. Huss (17:53) split 30-seconds over 5K at the Sept 1 Covered Bridge Open
to give the Seminoles the win. Florida
State claimed 4th at the Sept 29 Notre Dame Invite behind Michigan, NC State,
and Providence with frosh Susan Kuijken (9:26/16:20) leading Parker, Huss,
Wilshire (9:40/16:45), and Hagan to a 52-sec 1-5 split over 5K. The Seminoles placed 7th in the
Pre-NCAA Blue race behind Stanford, Minnesota, Arizona State, BYU, Providence,
and Michigan State, with Huss, Kuijken, Parker, Crate, and Bowerman splitting
35-sec over 6K. Florida State placed
4th at ACCs behind NC State, Duke, and Virginia; Kuijken, Huss, Crate,
Wilshire, and Willemse combined for an 82-sec 1-5 gap over 6K (apparently
Bowerman had an off day and finished two sec behind Willemse). Regional champ Kuijken led the Seminoles to
fourth at the South Regional behind Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee; Kuijken
combined with Huss, Crate, Wilshire, and Huss for a 1:31 1-5 gap over 6K.
30. BAYLOR
Fifteenth
at the 2005 NCAA meet, Baylor returns all seven from last year including Erin
Bedell (40th), Brittany Brockman (56th), Monique Ortega (115th), Lauren Hagans
(138th), Lyndsy Bedell (188th), Jessi Barnes (222nd), and Brittany McGuire
(237th); Brockman was injured during indoors but is reportedly returning to
form. Top newcomer, Nichole Jones won
the Foot Locker South meet as a frosh and was the 2005 USA junior 1500
champ. Jones led the Bears to 3rd at
the Sept. 23 Griak Invite behind UCSB and Arizona State, combining with E.
Bedell, Hagans, L. Bedell, and Ortega for a 26-sec 1-5 spread over 6K. Running without Erin Bedell, Baylor finished
5th at the Chili Pepper Invite behind Arkansas, Duke, Texas Tech,
and VaTech; L. Bedell, Jones, Ortega, McGuire, and Waller split 58-sec for
6K. The Bears finished fifth at the Big
12 champs behind Colorado, Texas Tech, Nebraska, and Oklahoma State; Jones, L.
Bedell, Ortega, Van Whye, and Hagans combined for a 68-sec 1-5 spread over
6K. Baylor claimed second at the South
Central Regional behind Arkansas; Ortega, Jones, Hagans, Bedell, and McGuire
split 52-sec.
--. WAKE FOREST
Wake
Forest claimed 17th at the 2005 NCAA harrier meet, with Nicole Shappert (91st),
Mandy McBean (166th), and Michelle Sikes (220th) returning with NCAA
experience. Sikes won the Lou Onesty
meet to lead the Deacons to second behind host UVa, wi Chrisman, Kieffer,
Franklin, and Howard combining for a 71-sec 1-5 splite over 5K. At the Sept. 29 Bill Dellinger Invite, Sikes
claimed second overall (behind BYU's Anderson) to lead Wake to third place
behind Arkansas and BYU but ahead of Washington, Duke, Butler, and Indiana;
Chrisman, Franklin, Kieffer, and Shappart followed Sikes with a 1:57 1-5 spread
over 6K. Despite Sikes winning her
race, the Deacons finished 20th in the Pre-NCAA White race; Sikes
combined with Franklin, Chrisman, Schappert, and Kieffer for a 1:57 1-5 gap
over 6K. The Deacons placed eighth at
ACCs behind NC State, Duke, UVa, Florida State, VTech, UNC, and Boston College,
with Sikes finishing second to lead Chrisman, Schapert, Franklin, and Kieffer
to a 2:05 1-5 spread over 6K. Wake
Forest claimed fifth at the Southeast Region behind NC State, Duke, VTech, and
UVa; Sikes (2nd overall) combined with Franklin, Chrisman, Kieffer, and Sekulic
for a 2:02 1-5 split.
--.
NORTH CAROLINA
North
Carolina claimed 22nd at last fall’s NCAA championships, with
All-American Brianna Felnagle (45th) leading Megan Kaltenbach (126th),
Cassie King (132nd), Katelyn Kaltenbach (184th), Laura
Cummings (210th), and Morgan Stengel (229th) back from
that team. North Carolina finished
ninth at the Notre Dame Invite behind Michigan, NC State, Providence, Florida
State, Illinois, Weber State, Florida, and Georgia, with Kaltenbach, Felnagle,
King, Cummings, and Bracy splitting 1:29 over 5K. UNC finished 14th in the Pre-NCAA White race, with
Felnagle, Kaltenbach, King, Cummings, and Bracy splitting 67-sec for 6K. The Tar Heels finished sixth at ACCs behind
NC State, Duke, UVa, Florida State, and VTech, with Felnagle, Kaltenbach, King,
Cummings, and Bracy splitting 91-sec over 6K.
UNC claimed sixth at the Southeast Regional behind NC State, Duke,
VTech, UVa, and Wake Forest, with Felnagle, Kaltenbach, King, Bracy, and Kloss
splitting 77-sec over 6K.
NCAA Qualifiers
http://www.ncaasports.com/crosscountry/story/9797345
Arkansas
Baylor
Boston
College
Colorado
Duke
Florida
Georgetown
Georgia
Illinois
Iona
Michigan
State
Minnesota
North
Carolina State
Princeton
Stanford
Texas
Tech
UC
Santa Barbara
Wisconsin
Arizona
State
Brigham
Young
Colorado
State
Florida
State
Iowa
Michigan
North
Carolina
Providence
Tennessee
Virginia
Virginia
Tech
Wake
Forest
Weber
State
Laura
Rolf Valparaiso
Jessica
Gall Indiana
Sunni
Olding Notre Dame
Lindsay
Hattendorf Indiana
Frances
Koons Villanova
Bridget
Franek Penn State
Stacy
Kim Pennsylvania
Rachel
Papin La Salle
Leanna
Nastase Bucknell
Jessica
Eldridge Oklahoma
Lisa
Koll Iowa
State
Diana
Chelimo Oral Roberts
Alex
Becker Tulsa
Timmie
Murphy New Mexico
Nicole
Gueldemeister Northern Arizona
Allie
Brosh Montana
Katja
Rosenplaenter Northern Arizona
Lindsay
Donaldson Yale
Catherine
Parker New
Hampshire
Toni
Salucci Cornell
Jillian
Sullivan Connecticut
Marissa
Ryan Boston
U.
Lanni
Marchant Chattanooga
Julia
Hicks Alabama
Jennifer
Mcpherson Mississippi State
Katherine
Herring Belmont
Rachael
Forish SMU
Merideth
Snow Texas
A&M
Renee
Graham Lamar
Jodi
Hulett Texas-Arlington
Julia
Viellehner Coastal Carolina
Tarah
McKay Louisville
Alicia
Valtin Campbell
Dena
Spickard James Madison
Laura
Olvera UC Irvine
Anita
Campbell Washington
Laura
Mickelson Loyola Marymount
Amy Lia Washington