THIS WEEK IN THE WAC
Friday, Oct. 8
NM State at Duel in the Desert, Truth or Consequences, N.M.
(Postponed; no make up dates or times announced)
San Jose State at Gator Invitational, San Francisco, Calif.
Saturday, Oct. 9
Louisiana Tech at MSU Cowboy Stampede, Natchitoches, La.
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos
The Broncos split runners between the Roy Griak Invitational, located in St. Paul, Minn., and the Bob Firman Invitational, located in Eagle, Idaho, Sept. 25 ... both the Bronco men and women fared well at the Roy Griak Invitational, placing 10th and 18th, respectively in a field of 22 men's teams and 29 women's teams ... sophomore Jeff Howard and freshman Emma Bates led each team ... the Bronco women placed second in the five-team competition at the Bob Firman, while the men did not have an official team competing in the meet, but were represented by multiple unattached runners ... the Broncos continue their season on Oct. 16 at the Bronco Invitational.
Fresno State Bulldogs
The bulldogs wrapped up competition at the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Ind., on Oct. 1 ... the men's team placed 17th out of 21 teams with freshman Oliver Collin recording the best time for the bulldogs in the 8K race, 24:32, good enough for 33rd overall ... the women's team claimed ninth out of a field of 19 teams in the gold division, as sophomore Marrijtje Molenhuis lead the way, finishing 27th overall with a time of 18:41 ... the Bulldogs will take the week off and return to action on Oct. 16 at the Santa Clara Invite in Santa Clara, Calif.
Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine
The UH women's cross country team came away from the Charles Bowles Invitational with an eighth-place finish on Oct. 2 ... senior Ashley Aitken led the way for the Rainbow Wahine with a fifth-place individual finish, recording a time of 17:38.76 on the 5K course ... UH will take the next week off before competing in the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational, Saturday, Oct. 16, in Santa Clara, Calif.
Idaho Vandals
The Idaho men's and women's cross country teams each had very successful performances at the Charles Bowles Invitational on Oct. 2 ... the Vandal women claimed the team title from a field of 24 teams ... the women's victory propelled them to a no. 14 West Regional ranking, marking the first time they have been ranked this season ... on the men's side, sophomore Barry Britt set an Idaho record for the second meet in a row with a time of 24:00.48 on the 8K course ... Britt helped the men to a fourth-place finish out of 23 schools ... Idaho will be back in action at the Dellinger Invitational on Oct. 16.
Louisiana Tech
The Lady Techster cross country team finished third at the Northwestern State Invitational on Oct. 4 ... sophomore Lauren Gilbert once again led the way for Louisiana Tech as she placed fourth in the 6K race with a time of 24:30 ... The men's team did not compete ... Louisiana Tech will head to the Asics MSU Cowboy Stampede at McNeese State on Oct. 9 in Lake Charles, La.
Nevada Wolf Pack
Junior Jenifer McEntire led the Wolf Pack cross country team to a second place team finish at the 2010 Nevada Chase Race Saturday at Rancho San Rafael Park ... McEntire finished the 5K course with a time of 20:43, staking her claim to a fifth-place finish ... redshirt sophomore Tara Dines also helped lead the charge, finishing in 11th place ... Nevada will travel to Sunnyvale, Calif. for the Bronco Invitational at Baylands Park on Oct. 16.
New Mexico State Aggies
The New Mexico State cross country teams had strong performances in the very competitive Paul Short Invitational on Oct. 1 ... the Aggie women placed 19th out of 41 teams and were led by sophomore Courtney Schultz, who finished 28th out of 367 runners in the 5K race ... junior Ian Ruybalid helped the men place 16th out of 42 teams, as he finished 63rd out of 387 runners with a time of 25:01 in the men's gold 8K race ... The Aggies Dual in the Desert race in Truth or Consequences, N.M that was supposed to take place on Oct. 8 was pstponed with no make up date at this time ... NM State's next race will be on Oct. 16, when part of the team travels to Terry Haute, Ind., to run in a pre-national meet.
San Jose State Spartans
The San Jose State women's cross country team finished in 16th place out of 24 teams at the Charles Bowles Invitational on Oct. 2 ... junior Elizabeth Raymond was the Spartans' top finisher covering the 5K course in 18:40.38 ... the men did not compete this week ... the Spartans are back in action on Oct. 8, at the Gator Invitational, hosted by the University of San Francisco.
Utah State Aggies
The Utah State men and women's cross country teams competed well at the 55th Annual Notre Dame Invitational as the men finished in 14th place and the women claimed 21st overall on Oct. 1 ... Junior Brian McKenna finished 10th overall in the five-mile race with a time of 24:09 ... McKenna has been the Aggies top finisher in every race this season ... junior Jessie Chugg was the Aggies top finisher on the women's side, recording a time of 18:03 in the 5k race ... Chugg has led the Aggies in all three races so far this season ... Utah State next competes at the NCAA Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute, Ind. on Oct. 16.
WAC NOTES
IDAHO'S BARRY BRITT AND JULIA VESETH NAMED CROSS COUNTRY ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Idaho's Barry Britt and Julia Veseth have been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference men and women's Cross Country Athletes of the Week, respectively, for the week of Sept. 29 - Oct. 5.
Britt, a sophomore from Hampton, B.C., Canada, was the Vandals' top finisher at the Charles Bowles Invitational on Oct. 2, placing seventh overall and giving his team a fourth-place finish. Britt's time of 24:00.48 on the 8K course broke an Idaho course record, the second Idaho course record he has broken this season, and was also the fastest 8K time in the WAC this year. His performance helped Idaho finish higher than a pair of regionally-ranked teams out of the 23-team deep field. Britt now has the two fastest 8K times this year, as he bested his time of 24:12.58 he recorded at the Sundodger Invitational on Sept. 18.
Veseth, a junior from Moscow, Idaho, led the Idaho women to the Charles Bowles Invitational title with her fourth-place finish in the 5K race. In a field of 257 runners, that included athletes from Division I, II and III, her time of 17:37.18 was the best amongst any Division I competitor. The race was the fastest 5K time of Veseth's career.
Other men's nominees: Ian Ruybalid, New Mexico State; Brian McKenna, Utah State
Other women's nominees: Ashley Aitken, Hawai'i, Jenifer McEntire, Nevada, Courtney Schultz, New Mexico State, Jessie Chugg, Utah State
WAC CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2010 WAC Cross Country Championship travels to Moscow, Idaho. This year's championships will be hosted by the University of Idaho and will take place at the Virgil Phillips Farm County Park, Saturday, Oct. 30. The Utah State men and New Mexico State women claimed the championships last year.
Oct. 30, 2010
Moscow, Idaho
Host: University of Idaho
Admission: Free
NCAA REGIONALS
The 2010 Cross Country Regionals will be held at nine sites throughout the country on Saturday, Nov. 13. WAC teams will be represented in three locations. The West Region will be held in Eugene, Ore. (University of Oregon). The Mountain Region will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah (University of Utah), while Louisiana Tech will be the lone team in the South Central Regional (Baylor) in Waco, Texas.
Nov. 13, 2010
Great Lakes Region - Oakland University
Mid Atlantic Region - Pennsylvania State University
Midwest Region - Bradley University
Mountain Region - University of Utah
Northeast Region - Yale University and Fairfield University
South Region - Samford University
South Central Region - Baylor University
Southeast Region - University of Louisville
West Region - University of Oregon
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2010 Cross Country National Championships will once again be held in Terre Haute, Ind. at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center. Indiana State is the host for this year's Championships.
Nov. 22, 2010
Wabash Valley Family Sports Center
Terre Haute, Ind.
Host: Indiana State University
Ticket Info: 812/237-3737