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MWC Titles On Line For Cougar Runners The Provo Daily Herald Feature Story
Oct. 24, 2001
By Dorothy Knoell PROVO, Utah - Will the domination continue? It's conference competition time for the BYU men's and women's cross country teams, and the Cougars have been nothing if not consistent in the Mountain West Conference. Since 1999, when the conference came into being, BYU has won all four team cross country titles, and three of the four individual titles, as well. On the women's side, that trend should continue. The Cougars are ranked No. 2 in the country and are the favorites for their third straight conference title. Of course, BYU coach Patrick Shane isn't taking anything for granted. But he is realistic. "The conference meet is an important race for us and we are hoping that we will run well," Shane said. "If we do that we anticipate winning the championship. I'm also hoping one of our young women can be the individual winner as well." The Cougars' Lindsey Thomsen will defend her individual crown, and her stiffest competition may well come from her own teammates. It's a bit more dicey on the men's side of things. The BYU men are ranked No. 16 nationally, and will be facing No. 9 Air Force and No. 22 Colorado State in the MWC championship race. John Hedengren, who won the individual crown in 1999 before losing it to Colorado State's Bryan Berryhill last season, returns to lead the Cougars this year. And despite being ranked lower than Air Force, the Cougars' chances are still pretty good. "Air Force and Colorado State are running well but we've beaten both teams at some point this year," men's coach Ed Eyestone said. "I'm confident that our guys will rise to the occasion and get the job done." After this weekend's action, the next race for the Cougar teams will be the NCAA Mountain Regionals, which they will play host to at East Bay Golf Course on Nov. 10. SOCCER: After two straight losses -- one on the road against No. 4 Nebraska and one at home to MWC rival New Mexico -- the BYU women's soccer team (8-6-0, 2-1 MWC) has dropped out of the rankings. The losses haven't dropped the Cougars out of the conference race, however. In fact, Thursday's 7 p.m. game against Air Force in Provo will be for sole possession of first place in the MWC. The game will be broadcast live on KBYU-TV, BYU-TV, Direct TV and other local cable channels. VOLLEYBALL: The Cougars have lost two straight, and three of their last five. The losses to in-state rivals Utah State (in Provo) and Utah (in Salt Lake City) dropped the Cougars (12-4, 6-2 MWC) to No. 16 in the polls, one spot under Utah, which moved to 15th, and well behind No. 8 Colorado State. It's a road week for the Cougars, who visit Sacramento State on Thursday, then are at Air Force and New Mexico on Friday and Saturday. BYU beat both MWC teams in Provo earlier this season. SWIMMING: The men's and women's swim teams will compete in the Blue/White meet Friday at 4 p.m. at the Richards Pool. TENNIS: Both teams will be at regional competition this weekend. The men's team will compete at the ITA Region VII championships in Atlanta while the women are at the Rolex Central Region Championships in Tulsa. The meets run today through Sunday.
Dorothy Knoell can be reached at 344-2551 or dknoell@heraldextra.com
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