DENVER The Western Athletic Conference had six student-athletes compete in the NCAA Cross Country Championships today in Waterloo, Iowa, at the Irv Warren Golf Course. Mircea Bogden of UTEP led all WAC competitors on the mens side, placing 22nd in the 10k race with a time of 30:03.3. For the WAC women, Rices Kate Gorry placed 53rd with a time of 20:54.9. The WAC had no teams qualify for the championship. Stanford pulled off the sweep, taking home both the mens and womens team titles.
Bogden, a sophomore from UTEP, won the 2003 WAC title and was named the WAC Athlete of the Year. His time of 30:03.4 was the fourth-best time for individuals not competing in the team portion. SMUs Dalibor Balgac crossed with a time of 30:14.0 to take home 35th. Boise States Forest Braden was the other WAC male to compete, crossing in 31:03.1 for 125th.
Gorry, a sophomore from Rice, finished third at the WAC Championship. Her time of 20:54.9 at the NCAA meet was the 13th-best finish for individuals not competing for a team score. SMUs Karin van Rooyen crossed in 21:01.9, finishing 64th. Alba Garcia of UTEP was the only other WAC female athlete to compete, taking 81st in a time of 21:08.6.
Colorados Dathan Ritzenhein took home the mens individual title, crossing in 29:14.1. The Stanford men took home the mens team title, posting 24 points to Wisconsins second-place effort of 174. On the womens side, North Carolinas Shalene Flanagan won the individual title with a time of 19:30.4. The Stanford women edged the team title, defeating BYU, 120 to 128. For complete NCAA Championship results, visit
NCAAsports.com.