THIS WEEK IN THE WAC CROSS COUNTRY
Saturday, September 27
Nevada at Roy Griak Invitational, St. Paul, Minn.
Fresno State at Stanford Invitational, Palo Alto, Calif.
San Jose State at Stanford Invitational, Palo Alto, Calif.
Hawai?i at Stanford Invitational, Palo Alto, Calif.
Boise State at Williamette Invitational, Salem, Ore.
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos
The Broncos competed in both the Portland WCC Preview and the Bob Firman Invitational this past week ... Laura Arnstam and Katherine Gallagher led the Broncos at the West Coast Preview with finishes among the top 20 ... the Bronco men were able to capture the team title at the Bib Firman Invitational with 35 points while the women finished in third with 74 points at Eagle Island State Park ... the men were led by freshman Brian Pierre who broke the tape in a first place finish with a time of 26:02 on the 8,000-meter course ... the women were also able to place all scorers in the top-25 led by Carly Gerard with a 15th place finish and covering the 5K course in a time of 19:14.
Fresno State Bulldogs
The women’s cross country team took on CSU Bakersfield Saturday at the Roadrunner Invitational ... the team used the race as a chance to stretch its legs and, in the process, put in a solid performance ... Laurie Loeffler led the Bulldogs with an eighth place finish at 21:38.50 ... the next four Fresno State athletes all crossed together, including Janev Morris, Erica Embry, Tiera Hilliard, and Cara Montes ... Morris and Embry timed in under 23 minutes, finishing at 22:25.43 and 22:33.21 ...
both the men’s and women’s cross country teams travel to the Stanford Invitational Saturday in Palo Alto, Calif.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine
UH hosted the annual Big Wave Invitational Saturday at the Kane?ohe Klipper Golf Course on Marines Corps Base Hawai?i ... the team placed sixth in a women’s field that featured Division I foes UCLA, San Diego State, Pepperdine as well as the state’s four Division II programs ... Mariana Monasi was the team’s top finisher, placing 12th overall after clocking in at 15:17.93 ... Tava Tedesco checked in at 16:14.14 for 36th place followed by Liisa Cushing (16:16.84, 38th), Gina Nourmohamadian (17:10.87, 45th), and Shannon Dresser (17:44.82, 51st) ... the Rainbow Wahine will next compete in the Stanford Invitational, Sept. 27.
Idaho Vandals
Idaho’s men’s and women’s cross country teams both finished sixth on Saturday at the Sundodger Invitational at Lincoln Park in Seattle ... senior Allix Lee-Painter finished 14th overall out of on the women’s side with a time of 21:06 in the 6k run, which was 34 seconds faster than her 2007 time at the meet ... on the men’s side, Idaho’s top finisher was senior Jeremiah Johnston, who finished the 8k course in 25:03 and finished 37th ... the next stop for the Vandal teams will be the Willamette Invitational, where the women will look to defend their team title from a year ago ... the meet will take place at Salem, Ore., on Saturday, Oct. 4.
Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech did not compete last week ... the team returns to action on Sept. 29 at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La.
Nevada Wolf Pack
Nevada did not compete last week ... the team returns to the course on Saturday at the Roy Griak Invitational (University of Minnesota, 6000m) in St. Paul, Minn.
New Mexico State Aggies
Although no official team scores were kept, the New Mexico State women’s cross country team left little doubt as to which team brought home the crown, as the Aggies played host to the annual Kachina Classic, Saturday ... for the third straight meet, junior Ingrid Flores led the Aggies across the 5k finish line. Flores brought home the silver medal overall with a time of 18:46 ... leading the way for the men in the 5k race was freshman standout Ian Ruybalid with a 13th place finish in a time of 17:04.1 ... NMSU is back in action Friday, Oct. 3, as they head to Tempe Ariz., to compete at the Arizona State Invitational.
San Jose State Spartans
The Spartans did not compete last week ... the team will be competing in the Stanford Invitational this week in Palo Alto, Calif.
Utah State Aggies
Utah State’s men’s and women’s cross country teams came in second place at the 27th annual Montana State Invitational ... the men took second out of 11 teams, and the women took second out of 13 teams ... Ben Kessen finished second overall, running the five-mile race in 24:36.00 ... on the women’s side, freshman Ruth Hilton was the first Aggie finisher coming in at 17:38.00 in the three-mile race which placed her eighth overall ... the Aggies will continue action at the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Ind. on Oct. 10 at 9 a.m.
WAC NOTES
BOISE STATE’S PIERRE AND NEW MEXICO STATE’S FLORES NAMED CROSS COUNTRY ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Boise State’s Brian Pierre and New Mexico State’s Ingrid Flores have been named the Western Athletic Conference men and women’s Cross Country Athletes of the Week, respectively, for the week of Sept. 15-21.
Pierre, a freshman from Laramie, Wyo. (Laramie HS), was the top finisher at the Bob Firman Invitational in Eagle, Idaho. Pierre finished the 8,000-meter course with a time of 26:02, helping the Broncos to a first place team finish.
Flores, a junior from El Paso, Texas (Jefferson HS), placed second at the Kachina Classic. Flores crossed the finish line of the 5K course with a time of 18:46. Flores was one of four Aggies to finish in the top-seven at the event.
Other Men’s Nominees: New Mexico State’s Ian Ruybalid placed 13th at the Kachina Classic with a 5K time of 17:04 ... Utah State’s Ben Kessen finished second at the Montana State Invitational with an 8K time of 24:36.00.
Other Women’s Nominees: Boise State’s Carly Gerard led the Bronco women with a 15th place finish at the Bob Firman Invitational, covering the 5,000-meter course with a time of 19:14 ... Idaho’s Alex Lee-Painter finished 14th with a 6K time of 21:06 at the Sundodger Invitational ... Utah State’s Ruth Hilton finished eighth at the Montana State Invitational with a 5K time of 17:38.
WAC CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2008 WAC Cross Country Championship travels to Las Cruces, New Mexico. This year’s championships will be held Saturday, Nov. 1 at the New Mexico State Golf Course. Utah State won last year’s men’s championship, while Idaho took the title on the women’s side.
November 1, 2008
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Host: New Mexico State
New Mexico State Golf Course
Admission: Free
NCAA REGIONALS
The 2008 Cross Country Regionals will be held at nine sites throughout the country, Saturday, Nov. 15. WAC teams will be represented in three locations. The West Region will be held in Stanford, Calif. (Stanford University). The Mountain Region will be held in For Collins, Colo. (Colorado State University), while Louisiana Tech will be the lone team in the South Central Regional (Baylor) in Waco, Texas.
November 15, 2008
Great Lakes Region - Purdue University
Mid Atlantic Region - Princeton University
Midwest Region - Oklahoma State University
Mountain Region - Colorado State University
Northeast Region - Columbia University-Barnard College
South Region - University of Tennessee, Knoxville
South Central Region - Baylor University
Southeast Region - Wake Forest University
West Region - Stanford University
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS ? The 2008 Cross Country National Championships once again travels to Terre Haute, Ind. and Wabash Valley Family Sports Center. Indiana State is the host for this year’s Championships.
November 24, 2008
Wabash Valley Family Sports Center
Terre Haute, Ind.
Host: Indiana State University
Ticket Info: 812/237-4040