Oct. 26, 2010

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -

The 2010 Mountain West Conference Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships will be held on Friday, Oct. 29, at the Jacoby Golf Course in Laramie, Wyo. The women’s 6K race will begin at 10 a.m. MT, while the men’s 8K race will start at 11 a.m. MT.

The men's race will feature 12th-ranked New Mexico, the defending Conference champions, and BYU, who is currently ranked No. 13. The Lobos tied for eighth-place at last year's NCAA National Championship in Terre Haute, Ind. New Mexico junior Nicholas Kipruto, who will be competing in his first MWC Championship meet, and senior Rory Fraser are expected to pace the Lobos. BYU junior Miles Batty enters the race with the MWC’s top 8K mark this season with a time of 23:42.4

The 10th-ranked New Mexico women are favored to take home their second consecutive league title. Individually, the Lobos return senior Ruth Senior, the runner-up at last year's MWC Championship, as well as junior Lacey Oeding, who earned a fourth-place finish at the event. BYU senior Cecily Lemmon Lew, the 2009 MWC Female Athlete of the Year, returns for the Cougars following a 10th-place finish at the 2009 NCAA Championship in Terre Haute, Ind. Junior runners Katy Andrews and Katie Bowen are also expected to pace BYU. Bowen enters the Championship with the Conference’s best 6K time this season with a mark of 20:42.3. Colorado State junior Ellie Keyser and Utah sophomore Amanda Mergaert are expected to lead the Rams and Utes, respectively.

The Mtn. - MountainWest Sports Network will air a 30-minute preview show dedicated to the upcoming 2010 MWC Cross Country Championships on Thursday, Oct. 28, at 3:30 p.m. MT and 9 p.m. MT. The preview show will also air on Friday, Oct. 29, at 11 a.m. MT. Interviews with coaches and student-athletes from programs across the Conference will be incorporated into the show along with results and highlights from the season.

Complete results and photos from the Championship can be accessed following the conclusion of the event on the Mountain West Web site (TheMWC.com).