This Week:
The University of Utah cross country teams will head to Fort Collins, Colo. for the 2004 NCAA Mountain Region Cross Country Championship meet Saturday. Colorado State will host the meet at Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins. The women's 6,000 meter race will start at 11:00 a.m., followed by the men's 10,000 meter race at 12:15 p.m.
Preview:
Last year, the women finished 15th in the region with Nellie Hammons leading the team with a 54th-place finish. Elise Greenwood-Bahr fell ill before the race and slipped to fourth amongst Utah runners to cross the finish line. With Greenwood-Bahr healthy, Hammons running strong, and Jennie Haertel's steady improvement, the Utes will look to put last year's showing behind them. This will mark the women's first race at elevation since their impressive victory at the Montana State Meet earlier this year.
The men's team only competed with one runner last season, but will run a full squad this weekend. They will step up to the 10,000-meter distance for the first time this season. Senior Delfino Arevalo is coming off a 12th-place finish at the Mountain West Conference Championships and will have fellow senior Colby Frazier and freshman Vance Twitchell on his heels.
Quoting Head Coach Brian Appell:
"I am excited to have the team compete in the always tough Mountain Region Cross Country Championships," states Appell. "Our region features some of the top teams in the nation. It is always a challenge to race at this level and we have prepared for the contest."
Previous Meet:
The University of Utah cross country teams finished competition for the Mountain West Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 30. Hosted by San Diego State at Morley Field, the meet featured all MWC Cross Country Squads. Utah's women's team earned a 4th place finish while the men placed 5th.
The BYU Cougars captured the men and women's team titles. The 12th ranked Cougar women's team finished with 24 points, while the No. 10 BYU men's squad finished with 39 points. For the women, BYU brought home its sixth consecutive conference title, while the men brought home their fifth conference title in six years.
Greenwood-Bahr led the women's team with a fifth-place individual finish, earning All-MWC first-team honors. Arevalo led the men's squad with a 12th-place finish, which earned him all-conference second-team honors.
Future Meets:
For those who qualify, the NCAA Championship cross country meet will be held on Nov. 22 in Terre Haute, Ind.
