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Cross Country Trying to Qualify at Mountain Region Race
11/11/2003 12:00 AM | Cross Country
Nov. 11, 2003
This Week:
The Utah cross country program will compete in the Mountain Region Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Schneiter's Riverside Golf Course in Ogden, Utah.
The Utes will have another tough race with several teams ranked within the top 30 according to the latest United States Cross Country Coaches Association polls. The men's race will feature seven top-ranked teams while the women's race will feature five. Last year, the Utes performed admirably with both teams notching ninth place finishes in arguably the toughest region in the country.
The region championships are a chance for teams and individuals to qualify for the NCAA Championships. The first four finishers not members of a qualifying team will receive berths to the NCAA's.
Previewing the Women's Race:
The women's 6K race will start at 12:15 p.m. The race will feature No. 2 BYU, No. 6 Colorado, No.10 Northern Arizona, No. 22 Colorado State and No. 27 Nevada.
The Utes will look to sophomore sensation Elise Greenwood to lead them this weekend. Greenwood has led the team in all but one race in 2003, including an impressive sixth-place finished at the Mountain West Conference Championships. Head Coach Brian Appell expects Greenwood to finish within the top 15. Senior Nellie Hammons, normally more successful as a middle distance runner, had a big performance at the MWC Championships finishing 16th. Hammons is expected to finish not far behind Greenwood.
Previewing the Men's Race:
The men will kick of their 10K race at 11:00 a.m. The race will feature No. 3 Colorado, No. 5 Northern Arizona, No.7 Arkansas, No. 8 Air Force, No. 10 BYU and No. 17 Colorado State.
Senior Jeff Davidson will lead the young Utah team with freshmen Nick McKay and J.P. Rooney following him. Davidson will look for a top-30 finish.
Quoting Head Coach Brian Appell:
"We're really excited for the Region Championships," states Head Coach Brian Appell. "The team has a chance at redeeming themselves for the sub-par performance at conference."
"We have a legitimate shot at competing and upsetting Air Force Academy, as well as several other region teams. We have traditionally run well at region and I hope that tradition continues. The training has gone well and the girls seem hungry. Jeff Davidson will have to compete well to lead the men's team."
Last Meet:
The University of Utah cross country teams finished the 2003 Mountain West Conference Cross Country Championships on Sat., Nov. 1. The meet was held at the University of New Mexico Golf Course.
On the women's side, Utah finished fourth overall with second-ranked BYU claiming its fifth straight conference title. For the men, the Utes took sixth, while ninth-ranked Air Force Academy brought home its first conference title as member of the MWC.
Leading the Utes for the women's team was sophomore Elise Greenwood who had a great race finishing sixth overall with 21:56. Greenwood also earned MWC All-Conference First Team honors for her performance. Jeff Davidson led the men's team with a 27th-place finish.
"We got two great performances from Elise Greenwood and Nellie Hammons today," stated Head Coach Brian Appell. "I was looking for Elise to finish within the top ten and Nellie within the top 25 and they met my expectations. Unfortunately the rest of the team could not keep up with their pace and Air Force snuck past us for third place. However, they will get a chance to redeem themselves at the Mountain Region Championships."
Future Meets:
For those individuals and teams that qualify, the 2003 NCAA Cross Country Championships will take place on Monday, Nov. 24 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Northern Iowa will play host to the Championship meet.
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