Here's an analysis of the NCAA female harrier teams. I have listed the teams according to the NCAA coaches' poll rankings (which I don't necessarily always agree with). Unless otherwise noted, the numbers in parentheses following individuals' names indicate that runner's finish at the '98 NCAA meet at Lawrence, KS; "FL" refers to that runner's finish at the Foot Locker Championships.

This analysis is also posted to
http://www.raceberryjam.com

Most of the information used to compile this analysis came from the individual institutions' athletic web-sites, the t-and-f listserve, and of course, Walt Murphy's X-Country X-Press.

THE TEAMS 1. Stanford (West) -- The Cardinal is firmly entrenched at the top of the polls following wins over Arkansas, BYU, Wisconsin, Kansas State, and Washington on Oct 2 and most of the country at Pre-NCAAs. Stanford won the NCAA team title in 1996, finished 2nd in '97 to BYU by a mere 2 points, and placed third last year behind Villanova and BYU in the tightest team finish in NCAA history. Stanford returns a devastating 1-2 punch--Julia Stamps (6th, 4th '97) and Sally Glynn (5th, 20th '97) But joining this twosome is the nation's best recruiting class: 2-time Foot Locker champ Erin Sullivan, '98 Foot Locker runner-up Lauren Fleshman, and '97 Foot Locker runner-up Mariel Ettinger. Returning from their '98 squad is US World Jr team member Caroline Annis (40th), Mary Haung (54th), Courtney Adams (137th), and Laura Turner (156th), as well as Ann Ramsey (69th '97). Also new to the team are Cal prep standout Kathleen Brizgys and '99s top two prep 800 runners, Lindsay Hyatt (2:06.74) and Katie Hotchkiss (2:08.22). Stanford (minus Glynn and Sullivan) beat BYU at altitude in Provo on Sept 18. Then in Palo Alto on Oct 2, Stanford won comfortably over a field that included 4 of the top 5 ranked teams. The Cardinal put 4 runners--Stamps, Fleshman, Sullivan, and Glynn--under 16:55 on their challenging course, with only Arkansas managing to stay close. Ettinger and Turner also finished under 17:35 as Stanford put seven in front of Arkansas' fifth. Stanford ran without Stamps at Pre-NCAAs and still dominated the race with Sullivan stepping up for a surprising individual runner-up finish. The Cardinal's Sullivan, Glynn, and Fleshman swept the top three places at the PAC-10 meet as their team easily won the loop title despite Stamps DNFing and Ettinger apparently not starting. Sullivan's performances at Pre-NCAAs and PAC-10s make her a legit contender for the individual title in Bloomington. Stanford will advance easily through the deep West region at Portland's Blue Lake Park.

2. Arkansas (South Central) -- The Lady Razorbacks, 6th at last fall's NCAA champs, also return two top-10 individuals and hope to join their male counterparts atop the victory stand in Bloomington. Amy Yoder (3rd, 7th '97, 29th '96) is the top returning individual from the '98 NCAA meet, while Jessica Dailey (nee Koch; 10th, 39th '97, 114th '96) garnered 10th place last fall. Also returning from the '98 NCAA squad is Tracy Robertson (59th, 61st '97). Two outstanding transfers will be key to Lady'Backs' success this season: Larissa Kleinmann from Boston U. won last year's Northeast Regional and former Foot Locker finalist Amy Weisman (98th) comes from Nebraska, although the latter hasn't appeared so far this fall and may redshirt. Arkansas also features redshirt frosh Kimi Welsh and newcomers Christine Wurth (18th FL) and Nicole Williams (23rd FL). Arkansas easily won the Sept 11 Jayhawk Invite (finishing 1-6 over the field) and the Sept 25 Sam Bell Invite (finishing 1-4 over that field), then fell to Stanford in Palo Alto on Oct 2. The Lady 'Backs stayed even with Stanford through 4 runners--Yoder, Robertson, Kleinmann, and Dailey all broke 17:00 at Stanford--but need for their 5th to close the gap to knock off the Cardinal. Arkansas turned back Wisconsin at the Oct 16 Chili Pepper Festival before sweeping the top five spots at the SEC champs; despite the sweep, the Lady 'Backs still had a 38-second gap between their 4th and 5th runners. Arkansas should be able to jog through the South Central regional in Denton, Texas with a good chance of sweeping the top four places in the race.

3. Brigham Young (Mountain) -- Patrick Shane's BYU squad won the 1997 NCAA team title and finished second last fall just behind Villanova and ahead of Stanford in the tightest three-way battle in NCAA history. Returning for the Cougars this fall will be Sharolyn Shields (13th), Laura Heiner (31st), Elizabeth Jackson (36th, 32nd '97, 25th '96), Kara Ormond (57th), Tara Haynes (77th, 38th '97), and Caisa Monahan (49th '97). Joining this powerful lineup is NCAA 10k runner-up Tara Rohatinsky and NCAA 3k finalist Lindsey Jones, as well as frosh Sarah Ellett and Sherida Rogers. On Sept 18 Stanford narrowly upset BYU (sans Rohatinsky) in Provo as both teams finished well ahead of Georgetown. One week later at Griak, Coach Shane ran a "B" squad that fell to Arizona State. At the Oct 2 Stanford Invite, a full strength BYU finished third behind host Stanford and Arkansas. Running without Shields, BYU just edged Colorado for second at the Pre-NCAAs behind Stanford. The Cougars then perfect-scored the new Mountain West conference by sweeping the top 5 places. BYU faces Colorado at the Mountain Regional in Fort Collins.

4. Colorado (Mountain) -- Seventh in '98, the Buffs finished 3rd in '97. CU returns Carrie Messner (66th, 30th '97, 82nd '95), Lindsay Arendt (119th), Leslie Higgins (122nd), Jennifer Fazioli (127th; 18th '96 FL), Briana Stott-Messick (248th, 80th '97), and Kara Wheeler, as well as former Foot Locker finalists Jenny Arnold (12th '97 FL) and Jodie Hughes (27th '96 FL). The Buffs gain frosh Tera Moody and transfers Catherine and Anna Wright from Tenn-Chattanooga. Colorado won the Sept 11 Colorado State Invite and essentially time trialed the Oct 2 Rocky Mountain Shootout before showing their had at Pre-NCAAs with a strong third, only 7 points back from BYU. CU then held off a strong challenge by Kansas State to edge them for the Big 12 title. Wheeler looks like a legitimate contender for the NCAA individual title after wins at Pre-NCAAs and Big 12 champs. The Buffs will square off against BYU in Fort Collins at the Mountain Regional.

5. Wisconsin (Great Lakes) -- Coach Peter Tegen's squad--5th at the '98 championships--will be led by NCAA Indoor 5k runnerup Erica Palmer (3rd in the Great Lakes Regional, with 16:03.94 and 34:03.60 credentials). Joining Palmer will be 9:30.00 3k runner Bethany Brewster (62nd), 9:31 3k runner Erin AufderHeide (71st), 4:19.94 1500 runner Stephanie Pesch (112th), and '98 Wisconsin prep champ Liz Reusser. The Badgers won the Sept 18 Illinois Invite, fell to Stanford, Arkansas, and BYU at the Oct 2 Stanford Invite, and again to Arkansas at the Oct 16 Chili Pepper Festival. Wisconsin swept the top three places to dominate the Big-10 champs. The Badgers should advance comfortably through the Great Lakes regional in Terre Haute, IN.

6. Georgetown (Mid Atlantic) -- Fourth last year in Lawrence, the Hoyas return individual 4th-place finisher Kristen Gordon (4th, 40th '97). Joining Gordon from their '98 squad are Autum Fogg (23rd, 42nd '97; 117th '96), Kathy Linck (88th),Lorena Adams (117th, 116th '97), Lisa Roder (182nd), and Emily Enstice (170th). Newcomers include Liz Churchville (12th FL) and Marni Kruppa (8th FL). Stanford and BYU both finished well ahead of the Hoyas at the Sept 18 BYU Challenge, then Georgetown edged James Madison at the Oct 26 GWU Invite, won the Oct 9 Paul Short Invite over Wake Forest and James Madison, and finished sixth at Pre-NCAAs. The Hoyas downed PC, Villanova, and Notre Dame at the Big East Champs. Georgetown faces Villanova again at the Mid Atlantic regional.

7. Kansas State (Midwest) -- Kansas State capped off an excellent season last fall with a 13th place finish in Lawrence. K-State returns Korene Hinds (27th), Katerina Fotopoulo (83rd), Amanda Crouse (106th), Annie Wetterhus (113th), Julie Kronoshek (194th), and Kelly Andra (240th) and gained frosh Amy Mortimer (15th FL), who has won her first two meets this fall prior to facing many of the nation's best at Stanford. Like Mortimer, K-State won both the Sept 4 Maple Leaf Invite and the Sept 18 Woody Greeno meet. The Wildcats finally met their match in Palo Alto on Oct 2 when they fell to Stanford, Arkansas, BYU, and Wisconsin. K-State then finished fifth at the Pre-NCAAs and narrowly lost to CU at the Big 12 champs. The Wildcats feature a strong top 4 runners, but drop off considerably (40+ secs at Big 12s) to their fifth. Kansas State races the Midwest regional in Champaign, IL.

8. North Carolina (Southeast) -- The Tarheels finished 18th last year in Lawrence and return Trish Nervo (75th), Julie Smith (78th), Heather Tanner (96th), Kim Timberlake (142nd), Tori Irvine (160th), Rebecca Walker (209th), Stephanie Jilcot (219th), and Karen Everitt. Whitney Weber joins the Tarheels. UNC beat Wake Forest at the Sept 18 Winthrop Invite, but was then edged by Michigan State at the Oct 1 Auburn Invite. The Tarheels shocked with a unexpected fourth at Pre-NCAAs behind Stanford, BYU, and Colorado, then backed it with a win at ACCs. UNC will again face cross state rival NC State at the surprisingly competitive Southeast Regional at Furman.

9. Arizona State (West) -- Last year, the Sun Devils made their first-ever appearance at the NCAA meet with a 23rd-place effort. With the loss of only one runner from last year's NCAA squad, ASU looks poised for a trophy at the NCAA meet later this fall. Coach Walt Drenth returns Lisa Aguilera (131st), 9:25 3k runner Kelly MacDonald (134th), Kristin McFerron (158th), Cody Sohn (211th), Nicole Simmons (227th), Amy Maciasek (235th) from the NCAA squad, and regains the services of '97 #1 runner Mary Duerbeck who missed the '98 campaign due to injury. Aguilera ran quite well early, as are MacDonald and Duerbeck. Arizona State dominated its cross state Arizona and Northern Arizona in Irvine (CA) on Sept 11 then surprised with a win over an under-strength BYU team at Griak. However, ASU had an off day at Pre-NCAAs (especially Aguilera) and only finished 7th. The Sun Devils returned with a strong team performance on a warm day at the PAC-10 champs to earn runnerup honors behind the Cardinal and ahead of a strong Washington team. In Portland Arizona State will again duel with the Huskies for the second auto qualifier at the deep West regional.

10. Washington (West) -- The Huskies notched a 9th place finish at last year's NCAA meet, lost only one runner to graduation, and have benefited immensely from two important transfers. Returning for Washington are Anna Aoki (38th, 88th '97), Jennifer Smith (82nd), Kara Syrdal (129th, 129th '97), Ashley Foianini (198th), and Cami Matson, as well as Margaret Butler (98th '97), who missed much of the '98 campaign to injury. Joining the Dawgs are transfers Melinda Campbell (19th) from Boise State and '97 USA Jr XC champ Jen Schindler from American River CC. Smith--the '97 Big-12 Rookie of the year while running at Colorado--hasn't appeared this fall and will almost certainly redshirt, while Campbell missed the Stanford Invite and finished a bit back at both Michigan and PAC-10s. Washington easily dominated the Sept 11 Emerald City Invite, then recorded an impressive performance at their own Sept 25 Sundodger Invite--running one of the fastest team times ever over the Lincoln Park course. The Huskies fell to Stanford, Arkansas, BYU, Wisconsin, and K-State at the Oct 2 Stanford Invite, where they ran without their #1 runner Campbell (putting Campbell in moves them slightly ahead of Kansas State). The Huskies chose to skip Pre-NCAAs, and won the Wolverine Interregional over Nebraska, JMU, and Montana State. Despite warm conditions that favored the southern teams in the conference, Washington ran well at the PAC-10 meet to finish third close behind Arizona State. The Huskies will contend with the Sun Devils for the second automatic qualifier out of the West region at Portland's Blue Lake Park.

11. North Carolina State (Southeast) -- The Wolfpack finished 11th in '97 and 19th in '98. Lindsey Rogers (41st) is their top returning NCAA finisher but World Junior XC team member Jennifer Modiszewski (224th) led the pack most of the '98 campaign; unfortunately Modiszewski hasn't appeared this fall and will redshirt. Joining this twosome are Katie Sabino (67th), Erin Musson (130th, 55th '97), and Amy Beykirk (213th, 70th '97). Rogers and Musson have also missed meets this fall with injuries but have reappeared by ACCs. The Wolfpack finished a distant 2nd to Arkansas at the Sept 25 Sam Bell Invite, then beat William & Mary, Baylor, and Nebraska at the Oct 9 National Invite. '96 All-American Christy Nichols opened at the ACC meet with a bang -- an individual title! However, that wasn't enough as the Wolfpack fell to UNC. NC State will look for one of the auto qualifier spots at the deep Southeast regional at Furman.

12. James Madison (Southeast) -- Heather Hanscom, Bethany Eigel, Keisha Banks, Michelle Smith, and Brett Romano lead JMU, which finished 7th at last fall's regionals. The Dukes won the Sept 11 Cavalier Classic, finished second to Georgetown at the Sept 25 GWU Invite, third behind Georgetown and Wake Forest at the Oct 9 Paul Short Invite, and third again at the Wolverine Interregional behind Washington and Nebraska. At the Colonial Athletic Assoc champs, JMU upset William & Mary for the loop title. The Dukes will contend with William & Mary and Wake Forest for a good position in the at-large selection process.

13. William & Mary (Southeast) -- W&M returns Kathy Newberry (43rd), Dana Pascarella (56th), Emily Furia (89th), Amanda Buell (108th), Alison Mann (216th), Candice Major (231st) from their 10th place team. Buell has been out this fall with a stress fracture, but might appear at regionals. The Tribe's finished 4th behind Stanford, BYU, and Georgetown at the Sept 18 BYU Challenge, beat Virginia at the Sept 25 Colonial Invite, and second behind NC State but ahead of Baylor and Nebraska at the Oct 9 National Invite. W&M finished 8th at Pre-NCAAs but was then upset by James Madison at the CAA conference champs when Pascarella didn't run. The Tribe faces an uphill battle for an auto qualifier in the competitive Southeast region, but is in an excellent position for an at large berth given their performance in Bloomington.

14. UCLA (West) -- The Bruins made their 1st appearance at the NCAA champs in a decade last fall. Kelly Cohn (79th), Elaine Canchola (238th), and transfer Kate Vermeulen -- the NCAA Indoor mile champ for West Virginia -- lead the Bruins this fall. The Bruins narrowly lost to Arizona at the Sept 18 Aztec Invite, finished 6th at Griak behind Arizona State, BYU, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska, then won the Oct 9 Long Beach Invite before finishing 10th at Pre-NCAAs. UCLA ran well at the PAC-10 champs and finished 4th behind Stanford, Arizona State, and Washington. At the West regional in Portland, The Bruins look to position themselves in line for one of the top at large berths likely to come the way of this highly competitive region.

15. Michigan (Great Lakes) -- Despite having the individual titlist in Katie McGregor, Michigan was only able to pull off an 11th place team effort at last fall's NCAA meet. Returning from that squad are Elizabeth Kampfe (246th, 23rd), Lisa Ouellet (68th, 97th '97), Sarah Hamilton (146th), Katie Clifford (165th, 122nd '97), Julie Froud (175th, 65th '97). Katie Radkewich (2nd '96 FL) missed the end of last season with an injury and has missed a couple recent meets again fall while Kampfe is off her form she had shown the two previous years. The Wolverines downed Michigan State on Sept 4, then won the Sept 18 Spiked Shoe Invite over Bucknell and Penn State, ran poorly at the Sept 25 Sam Bell Invite (sans Radkewich and Erin White) where they finished 5th behind Arkansas, NC State, Northwestern, and South Florida. Michigan won the Oct 8 Michigan Intercollegiates, then finished 5th at home at the Wolverine Interregional before upsetting Minnesota and Michigan State for second at the Big-10 champs behid Wisconsin. Michigan will duel with Michigan State and Notre Dame for the second auto spot at the Great Lakes regional in Terre Haute, IN.

16. Minnesota (Midwest) -- The Gophers return last year's Midwest Regional champ Rasa Michniovaite. Gopher mentor Gary Wilson's squad finished 26th at the '98 NCAA meet. Juniors Elaine Eggleston (191st) and NCAA 10k qualifier Corinne Nimitz (152nd) have led the Gophers early this season as the team scored a surprising third at their own Griak Invite behind Arizona State and BYU but ahead of regional foes Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa State. The Gophers then edged Iowa State at the Oct 9 Iowa State Memorial before finishing 12th at Pre-NCAAs. At the Big-10 champs, Minnesota finished third close behind runner-up Michigan and narrowly ahead of Michigan State. Minnesota looks for the second auto spot in the Midwest region.

17. Providence (Northeast) -- Providence College looked strong in their first two outings, dominating the Sept 3 New Hampshire and Sept 11 Rhode Island meets, but then fell apart at Griak garnering only 9th place. The Friars looked better at the Oct 15 New Englands, notching a win over BC. Rachel Hixson (15th, 44th '97) returns to lead the team and is joined at the front by Dana Ostrander (212th, 82nd '97) and Heather Cappello (154th). Francine Darroch (164th, 113th '97) and Stephanie O'Reilly (251st, 142nd '97) also return with NCAA experience while Canadian Emily Tallen and Ireland's Kathryn Cassidy have run well early this fall. The Friars will race the Oct 29 Big East meet.

18. Boston University (Northeast) -- Despite losing New England Regional champ Larissa Kleinmann, BU has stepped up a notch this fall. Ann Kovalsky, Lauren Matthews, and Kathryn Ireland lead the team. BU finished a strong second to Brown at the Oct 2 Iona Invite after falling to Dartmouth at the Sept 11 Dartmouth Invite, then finished 9th at Pre-NCAAs before dominating the America East Conference champs with a 1-2-3-4 finish. The Terriers will face Providence at the Northeast regional in Boston's Franklin Park.

19. Michigan State (Great Lakes) -- The Spartans only finished 6th at their regional meet last fall, but burst onto the scene this fall with a win over North Carolina at the Oct 2 Auburn Invite over North Carolina, South Florida, and Georgia. Michigan State then finished 13th at Pre-NCAAs and fourth at the Big-10 champs just behind 2nd-place Michigan and 3rd-place Minnesota. Soph Ann Somerville and frosh Cindy Durocher lead Michigan State. The Spartans will face Michigan and Notre Dame for the second auto spot out of the Great Lakes region.

20. Northern Arizona (Mountain) -- NAU returns All-Americans Amy Swier (47th, 10th '97) and Emily Allison (33rd) to lead the squad, with Kendra Versendaal (132nd) also running well early. The Lumberjacks won the Sept 4 George Kyte meet, finished 3rd in Irvine on Sept 11 behind Arizona State and Arizona, 7th at Griak behind Arizona State, BYU, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and UCLA, and 15th at Pre-NCAAs. The Lumberjacks face an evenly matched Colorado State squad on CSU's home course for third at the Mountain Regional..

21. Missouri (Midwest) -- The Tigers finished 21st last fall and return their entire squad. Missouri is led by Kim Moore (60th), Katie Meyer (92nd, 96th '97), Anne Marie Brooks (94th), Justa Dahl (185th, 118th '97), Sunny Gilbert (190th), Jessica Patton (221st), and Courtney Bell (232nd). They are joined by Minnesota transfer Anna Gullingsrud and Show Me state prep champ Amy Chipman. MU easily won their own Sept 10 Missouri Challenge, then finished 4th at Griak behind Arizona State, BYU, and Minnesota, fell to Notre Dame in South Bend on 10/1, and finished 18th at Pre-NCAAs with an off day by a couple of their runners. Missouri finished third at Big 12s behind Colorado and Kansas State, just edging regional foe Nebraska by 2 points. The Tigers will face Minnesota and Nebraska for the 2nd auto spot in the Midwest region.

22. Villanova (Mid-Atlantic) -- The defending champs graduated '97 individual champ Carrie Tollefson and former NCAA 3000 titlest Kristine Jost (who chose to utilize her remaining year of eligibility at Florida). Sarah Vance Goodman (12th), Kristen Nicolini (17th), and Carmen Douma (21st, 6th '97, 44th '96) helped lead last year's squad to victory, with Ann McGranahan (81st) also returning from that squad. Newcomers Liz Awtrey (21st FL) and Sheila Klick (20th FL), and Ireland's Geraldine McCarthy are expected to score for the Wildcats. The Wildcats dominated the Sept 17 Haverford Invite and Oct 1 LaSalle Invite without Goodman appearing in the lineup, but fell to 20th at Pre-NCAAs without either Goodman or McGranahan. At the Big East champs, McGranahan and Goodman returned to help Villanova garner third behind Georgetown and Providence, but Goodman was an unimpressive 18th and Nicolini didn't appear. With everyone in the lineup, Villanova looks like a lock for the Mid-Atlantic region's second auto spot.

23. Nebraska (Midwest) -- Nebraska tied for 23rd last fall at NCAAs. Nebraska is led by Michelle Brooks, Jaime Pauli (135th), Jeannette Zimmer (70th), and Jaime Kruger, with newcomer Kathryn Handrup already making an impact. The Huskers won the Sept 4 Bearcat Invite, finished second to K-State on Oct 18 at the Woody Greeno Invite, fifth at Griak behind ASU, BYU, and Midwest region foes Minnesota and Missouri, fourth behind NC State, William & Mary, and Baylor at the Oct 9 National Invite, and second to Washington at the Wolverine Interregional. Nebraska finished fourth behind Colorado, Kansas State, and Missouri (the latter by a mere two points) at Big 12 champs. The Huskers will face Minnesota and Missouri for the 2nd auto spot in the Midwest region..

24. Arizona (West) -- With the departure of Amy Skieresz, Coach Dave Murray has some big shoes to fill from last year's 16th-place team. He appears to have found another champion in Tara Chaplin (85th), who will be joined by Kristen Parrish (102nd, 60th '96), Katrin Englen, and Erin Doherty. Arizona finished 7th at the Oct 2 Stanford Invite behind Stanford, Arkansas, BYU, Wisconsin, Kansas State, and Washington, then 19th at the Pre-NCAA meet. At the highly competitive PAC-10 champs, Arizona ran well in the unseasonably warm weather to finish fifth behind Stanford, Arizona State, Washington, and UCLA. They face the country's deepest region at the West regional in Portland.

25. Oregon (West) -- The Ducks finished 12th in Lawrence but face the nation's toughest region again. Tara Struyk, Eri MacDonald (Hawaii prep champ), Katie Crabb, Amy Nickerson (Oregon prep champ), and Rhiannon Glenn lead the Ducks. Oregon finished 3rd behind Notre Dame and Missouri at the Oct 1 Notre Dame meet without Nickerson, then added Nickerson to their lineup and tied Colorado State for 16th at Pre-NCAAs. The Ducks faded a bit in the 90 degree weather at the PAC-10 champs and finished sixth behind Stanford, Arizona State, Washington, UCLA, and Arizona. The Ducks hope for a good finish at the deep West regional at Portland's Blue Lake Park.

Others:

--. Baylor (South Central) -- Baylor finished eighth last fall in Lawrence. Karin Ernstrom (46th; 47th '97) leads the Bears and is joined by Cecilia Jeverstam (80th; 77th '97), and Kara Newton (193rd). Frosh Sarah Broyles and Erin Dixon are also making an impact for Baylor. The Bears recorded wins at their own Sept 25 Invite and at the Oct 2 Cowboy Jamboree, then finished third behind NC State and William & Mary but ahead of Nebraska at the Oct 9 National Invite. Baylor slipped to 7th at the Big 12 champs. Baylor will contend with Texas for the second auto spot out of the South Central region.

--. Boston College (Northeast) -- BC is led by frosh Cate Guiney (7th FL), but also returns former All-Americans Shannon Smith and Kyla Barbour. The Eagles finished 2nd at Sept 4 Central Connecticut, won on Sept 10 at Franklin Park, finished 11th at Griak, tied Virginia for 3rd behind Brown and Boston U at the Oct 2 Iona Invite, then finished 2nd to Providence at the Oct 15 New Englands. BC finished 4th at the Big East Champs behind Georgetown, PC, and Villanova. Boston College will contend with Brown for third at the Northeast regional in Boston.

--. Brown (Northeast) -- Brown was only fourth last fall at their regionals, but looked early like they could challenge for the regional title based on their win at the Oct 2 Iona meet. However, a poor team effort at Pre-NCAAs (where they finished 24th) hurt them in the at large picture. Sara Tindall leads Brown, which featured a very tight 2-5 that includes Kim Thalman, frosh Rosie Woodford, Michelle Gross, and Laura Sobik at Iona. Prior to their Oct 2 Iona win, Brown also perfect scored the field at the Sept 17 Harvard Open. Brown easily downed Cornell at the Oct 29 Heps. Brown will challege Boston College for third at the Northeast regional in Boston.

--. Bucknell (Mid-Atlantic) -- Bucknell won home meets on Sept 11 and Oct 2, finished 2nd to Michigan at the Sept 18 Spiked Shoe Invite, then placed 23rd at Pre-NCAAs before winning the Patriot League champs. Bucknell will race the Mid-Atlantic regional.

--. Colorado State (Mountain) -- Colorado State finished 25th at NCAAs last fall. Elizabeth Roodell (28th) leads the Rams. CSU downed Eastern Illinois on Sept 3, then finished 2nd to Colorado on Sept 11, 10th at Griak, and 16th at Pre-NCAAs. The Rams finished a distant second to BYU at the Mountain West Conference and BYU put five in front of Roodell. Running at home, CSU will challenge Northern Arizona for the third at the Mountain regional.

--. Duke (Southeast) -- Standout frosh Sheela Agrawal (4:44/10:15 last year) burst onto the collegiate harrier scene this fall with wins at Fordham, Griak, and ECACs to lead the Blue Devils. Duke won the Oct 11 Fordham Invite, finished a strong eighth at Griak, then won their own Oct 2 invitational and the Oct 15 ECAC title. However, both Agrawal and Duke fell at ACC as the frosh finished a distant 6th and the team finished 5th behind UNC, NC State, Virginia, and Wake Forest. Duke will race the Southeast regional.

--. Florida (South) -- The Gators finished 22nd in Lawrence. Jennifer McGranahan (138th, 36th '97), Tamieka Grizzle (178th), Erin Merten (225th), and Ramona Saridakis (147th '97) return w/ NCAA experience, and are joined by sophomore Nora Allen. Big news for Florida is that Kristine Jost (69th, 4th '96) chose to pursue her graduate work in Gainesville and will run for the Gators if she can rec. The Gators won the Sept 9 Nike Twilite Classic and the Sept 18 Crimson Classic without running either McGranahan or Jost. The Gators easily won their own Oct 9 Gator Invite with McGranahan in the lineup, but finished dead last at Pre-NCAAs after DNFs by Grizzle and Allen and a subpar effort from the rest of the squad. Jost finally appeared at the SEC meet and helped lead the Gators to a runnerup finish behind Arkansas despite an off day by McGranahan. Florida will contend with South Florida and Georgia for the two auto spots out of the South regional.

--. Georgia (South Central) -- Edged Vanderbilt at the Sept 11 Commodore Classic before falling to Michigan State, North Carolina, and South Florida at the Oct 2 Auburn Invite and finishing 31st at the Pre-NCAAs. Georgia finished third behind Arkansas and Florida at SECs. Erin Jones and Julie Pryor have led the squad this fall, although Jones has been missing from the lineup at Pre-NCAAs and SECs. Georgia will contend with South Florida and Florida for the two auto spots out of the South regional.

--. Marquette (Great Lakes) -- Susan Barth and Jessie Swan lead Marquette. The Golden Bears finished 12th at Griak, notched wins at the Sept 11 Valparaiso and Oct 9 Murray Keating meets, finished 25th at Pre-NCAAs, and narrowly finished 2nd to South Florida at the Conference USA Champs. Marquette races the Great Lakes regional in Terre Haute, IN.

--. Northwestern (Midwest) -- Won the Sept 18 Lyons Invite and finished third at the Sept 25 Sam Bell Invite behind Arkansas and NC State and ahead of South Florida and Michigan. Suffered an off day at the Oct 15 South Florida Invite, falling to South Florida and Idaho before falling to 7th at the Big-10 champs. Sophomore Cherisse Lancaster leads the team. Northwestern will race the Great Lakes regional.

--. Notre Dame (Great Lakes) -- Notre Dame is led by Joanna Deter (14th, 3rd '96), Allison Klemmer, and Jennifer Handley. They won the Sept 17 National Catholic Champs, beat Missouri, Oregon, and Cornell at home on Oct 1, but sans Deeter (who has been nursing a twisted ankle) finished only 22nd at Pre-NCAAs and fifth at the Big East Champs. With Deeter back in the lineup, Notre Dame could contend with Michigan and Michigan State for the Great Lakes region's second auto spot.

--. South Florida (South) -- Beat Wake Forest at the Mountaineer Invite before finishing fourth at the Sept 25 Sam Bell Invite behind Arkansas, NC State, and Northwestern, third at the Auburn Invite behind Michigan State and North Carolina, winning the Oct 15 South Florida Invite over Idaho and Northwestern, and edged Marquette to win the Conference USA title. Laura Kaepalisto and Adrea Dempsey lead the Bulls. South Florida will contend with Georgia and Florida for the two auto spots out of the South regional.

--. Texas (South Central) -- Twenty-ninth last fall in Lawrence, the Longhorns return Liz Diaz (140th) and Maureen Sweeny (104th) to lead the squad. Despite wins at home on Sept 11, Sept 18 at SMU, and Oct 1 North Texas Invite, Texas didn't get any respect in the coaches' poll until they finished a strong 11th at the Pre-NCAAs. Texas then slipped back to 6th at the Big 12 champs. The Longhorns will challenge Baylor for the second auto spot out of the South Central region.

--. Texas Tech (Mountain) -- After just one year in Lubbock, sophomore coach Dave Smith has taken the Red Raiders from a dormat to a contender for a national slot. Tech is led by NCAA indoor 5k and NCAA outdoor 10k champ Leigh Daniel (50th, '96). Joining Daniel near the front of the pack are Kristen Koppes and Evette Turner. The Raiders got off to a shakey team start as they tied Idaho for second at the Sept 25 Sundodger meet, finished third behind Baylor and Adams State at the Oct 2 Cowboy Jamboree, and finished 21st at Pre-NCAAs. However, Tech downed Texas and Baylor at the Big 12 champs to finish 5th behind Colorado, K-State, Missouri, and Nebraska. Daniels has established herself as one of the top harriers with wins in Seattle and Stillwater, as well as a third at Pre-NCAAs and second at Big 12s. The Raiders travel to Fort Collins as they vie for a qualifying spot in the Mountain Region.

--. Wake Forest (Southeast) -- The Deacons finished 15th last fall and have undergone a coaching change. Janelle Kraus (52nd, 27th '97), Jill Snyder (97th, 126th '97), and Kelly Brady (169th, 132nd '97) return to lead the Deacons. Wake Forest finished 2nd to South Florida at the Mountaineer Invite and to UNC at the Sept 18 Winthrop Invite, easily won the Sept 25 Greensboro Invite, and then finished 2nd to Georgetown and tied JMU at the Oct 9 Paul Short Invite. Despite off days by two of Wake's top 5 at Pre-NCAAs, the team still finished 14th to garner a top-20 ranking. However, the Deacons fell apart at the ACC meet and finished fourth behind UNC, NC State, and Virginia. On a good day, the Deacons could challenge for an auto spot in the Southeast region but will more likely be contending with William & Mary and JMU in Furman for good positions in the at large selection process.

--. Weber State (Mountain) -- While Weber State didn't make to the NCAA Champs as a team in 1998, Heidi Hess (42nd) qualified individually. In addition, Sharlyn Maughan missed much most of the '98 season due to an injury but should return this fall. Weber State finished 5th behind Stanford, BYU, Georgetown, and William & Mary at the Sept 18 BYU Challenge. The Wildcats race the Mountain regional in Fort Collins.

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