NCAA Harrier Championships Women's Preview
by Mike Scott
University of Rhode Island

This year's NCAA women's harrier championship features an exciting three-way team battle between '96 champ Stanford, '97 champ Brigham Young, and perennial contender Arkansas. An addtional half-dozen other teams could contend for the final trophy spot and might even pick off one of the favorites should they falter.

The individual title is also up for grabs, although top returnee Amy Yoder and undefeated Kara Wheeler wear the mantle of co-favorites as the athletes line up for today's race.

THE TEAMS
West Regional winner Stanford is undefeated and firmly entrenched at the top of the polls following convincing wins over top-10 teams Brigham Young, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgetown, Washington, North Carolina, Kansas State, and Arizona State this fall. Stanford won the NCAA team title in 1996, finished 2nd in '97 to BYU by a mere 2 points, and placed 3rd last year behind Villanova and BYU in the tightest team finish in NCAA history. The Cardinal returned a devastating 1-2 punch--Julia Stamps (6th, 4th '97) and Sally Glynn (5th, 20th '97) from Lawrence. 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). Also new to the team are Cal prep standout Kathleen Brizgys and '99s top prep 800 runner Lindsay Hyatt (2:06.74). 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' 5th. 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 dropping out and Ettinger apparently not starting. Stamps returned to lead the Cardinal to a 1-2-3 sweep over the exceptionally deep West Regional. The Cardinal remain the favorites for the team title but will have to turn back stiff challenges from BYU and Arkansas.

Patrick Shane's #2 Brigham Young University squad appears to be rounding into shape at the right time with a 4-second 1-5 gap at the Mountain Regional behind NCAA individual favorite Kara Wheeler and ahead of NCAA 10k champ Leigh Daniel. BYU won the 1997 NCAA team title and finished 2nd 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), and Tara Haynes (77th, 38th '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 the Cougars (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 squad finished 3rd behind host Stanford and Arkansas. Running without Shields, BYU just edged Colorado for 2nd at the Pre-NCAAs behind Stanford. The Cougars then perfect-scored the new Mountain West conference by sweeping the top 5 places and followed this up with an impressive 2-3-4-5-6 place performance at the Mountain Regional despite team leader Heiner recovering from a cold. BYU will be in a 3-way battle for the team title along with Stanford and Arkansas.

South Central champion #3 Arkansas Lady Razorbacks, 6th at last fall's NCAA champs, also returns 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). Larissa Kleinmann--last fall's Northeast Regional winner--transferred from Boston U. Arkansas also features redshirt frosh Kimi Welsh and newcomer Christine Wurth (18th FL). Arkansas easily won the Sept 11 Jayhawk Invite (sweeping the top 6 places) 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 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 5 spots at the SEC champs; despite the sweep, the Lady 'Backs still had a 38-2nd gap between their 4th and 5th runners. Kleinmann won the South Central region to lead Arkansas to Bloomington, while Yoder jogged in with her teammates back in 7th. The Lady 'Backs will challenge Stanford and BYU for this weekend's team title.

Great Lakes region champ Wisconsin finished 5th at last fall's NCAA meet. Coach Peter Tegen's #4 Wisconsin squad is 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 is 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 and easily won the Great Lakes regional to advance to Bloomington.

Mountain Regional runner up Colorado finished 7th in '98 and 3rd in '97. The #5 Buffs return 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 finalist Jodie Hughes (27th '96 FL). The Buffs gained frosh Tera Moody and transfers Catherine and Anna Wright from Tenn-Chattanooga. Colorado won the Sept 11 Colorado State Invite and the Oct 2 Rocky Mountain Shootout , then finished a strong 3rd at Pre-NCAAs, only 7 points back from BYU. CU then held off a strong challenge by Kansas State to edge them for the Big 12 title before finishing 2nd in the Mountain Regional to BYU.

Mid-Atlantic champ Georgetown finished 4th last year in Lawrence and the #6 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 won the Oct 26 GWU Invite and Oct 9 Paul Short Invite, finished 6th at Pre-NCAAs, and downed PC, Villanova, and Notre Dame to win the Big East Champs.

West region runner-up Washington notched a 9th place finish at last year's NCAA meet and benefited immensely this fall from two important transfers. Returning for the #7 Huskies are Anna Aoki (38th, 88th '97), Kara Syrdal (129th, 129th '97), and Margaret Butler (98th '97; inj '98). Joining the Dawgs are transfers Melinda Campbell (19th) from Boise State and '97 USA Jr XC champ Jen Schindler from American River CC, as well as frosh Kate Bradshaw. Washington easily dominated the Sept 11 Emerald City Invite, then ran one of the fastest team times ever over the Lincoln Park course while winning their own Sept 25 Sundodger Invite. The Huskies fell to 6th at the Oct 2 Stanford Invite, where they ran without their #1 runner Campbell. The Dawgs chose to skip Pre-NCAAs, instead winning the Wolverine Interregional over Nebraska and JMU. Despite warm conditions that favored the southern teams in the conference, Washington finished 3rd close behind Arizona State at the PAC-10 meet. Behind strong runs by Aoki, Campbell, and Schindler, the Huskies downed ASU at the West Regional to snatch the 2nd auto berth.

Southeast Regional champ North Carolina finished 18th last year in Lawrence and return Trish Nervo (75th), Julie Smith (78th), Heather Tanner (96th), Kim Timberlake (142nd), Rebecca Walker (209th), Stephanie Jilcot (219th), and Karen Everitt. Newcomer Whitney Weber joins the #8 Tarheels. UNC opened with a win over 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 4th at Pre-NCAAs behind Stanford, BYU, and Colorado, then backed it with a win at ACCs. UNC again downed cross-state rival NC State at the Southeast Regional to advance to the NCAAs.

Midwest region winner Kansas State capped off an excellent season last fall with a 13th place finish in Lawrence. The #9 Wildcats return 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). 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 5th at the Pre-NCAAs and narrowly lost to CU at the Big 12 champs. The Wildcats feature a strong top 4--they put 4 in the top 5 to win Midwest regional--but drop off considerably (45+ secs at the regional) to their 5th.

Arizona State, third at the West Regional, made their first-ever appearance at last fall's NCAA meet with a 23rd-place effort. With the loss of only one runner from their '98 NCAA squad, the #10 Sun Devils look 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. Arizona State dominated cross-state rivals 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 runner-up honors behind the Cardinal and ahead of a strong Washington team. Arizona State finished 3rd behind Stanford and Washington at the West regional.

Southeast Regional runner-up North Carolina State finished 11th in '97 and 19th in '98. Lindsey Rogers (41st) returns as the #11 Wolfpack's top NCAA finisher and is joined by Katie Sabino (67th), Erin Musson (130th, 55th '97), and Amy Beykirch (213th, 70th '97). The Wolfpack finished a distant 2nd to Arkansas at the Sept 25 Sam Bell Invite, then won the Oct 9 National Invite. '96 All-American Christy Nichols opened her season at the ACC meet with a bang -- an individual title!. However, that wasn't enough as the Wolfpack fell to UNC. NC State finished 2nd to UNC again at the Southeast regional, but advanced automatically to Bloomington.

Defending champ Villanova graduated '97 individual champ Carrie Tollefson and former NCAA 3000 titlest Kristine Jost (who chose to utilize her remaining year of eligibility at Florida), but still managed to earn runner-up honors in the Mid-Atlantic region. 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 also score for the #12 Wildcats. Villanova 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 the Wildcats garner 3rd behind Georgetown and Providence, but Goodman finished an unimpressive 18th and Nicolini didn't appear. Keeping with the rotation technique, Goodman sat out the regional meet but Nicolini reappeared to help 'Nova finished 1-2-4 and finished only 7 points behind a strong Georgetown team. With Douma, Nicolini, McGranahan, Goodman, and Awtrey all in the race, Villanova could contend for a trophy in Bloomington.

Northeast regional champ Providence College was 14th last fall in Lawrence. Rachel Hixson (15th, 44th '97), Dana Ostrander (212th, 82nd '97) and Heather Cappello (154th) return to lead the #13 Friars and are joined by Claire Shearman, Canadian Emily Tallen, and Ireland's Kathryn Cassidy. PC 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 and finished 9th. The Friars looked better at the Oct 15 New Englands, notching a win over BC, and continued to improve at the Big East meet, finishing only 15 points behind Georgetown. Cappello has emerged as the team's leader and led her teammates to victory at the Northeast Regional with an individual title.

Great Lakes runner-up Michigan State only finished 6th at their regional meet last fall, but burst onto the scene this autumn with a win at the Oct 2 Auburn Invite over North Carolina, South Florida, and Georgia. Michigan State then finished 13th at Pre-NCAAs and 4th at the Big-10 champs just behind 2nd-place Michigan and 3rd-place Minnesota. Frosh Cindy Durocher, Soph Ann Somerville, and senior Leah Nilsson lead the Spartans. Michigan State edged cross-state rival Michigan for the Great Lakes region's 2nd auto berth to Bloomington.

The West Region's 4th-place UCLA team 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 #15 Bruins this fall. UCLA 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. The Bruins ran well at the PAC-10 champs and finished 4th behind Stanford, Arizona State, and Washington.

Midwest regional runner-up Missouri finished 21st last fall and return their entire squad. The #16 Tigers return 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), but are led by newcomers Anna Gullingsrud, a transfer from Minnesota, and Amy Chipman, last year's Show Me State prep champ. 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 3rd at Big 12s behind Colorado and Kansas State, then utilized an 18-2nd 1-5 gap to claim the Midwest region 2nd auto berth.

Despite having individual winner Katie McGregor, Michigan--3rd at this year's Midwest Regional--was only able to pull off an 11th place team effort at last fall's NCAA meet. Returning from that squad are Lisa Ouellet (68th, 97th '97), Elizabeth Kampfe (246th, 23rd '97), Katie Clifford (165th, 122nd '97), and Julie Froud (175th, 65th '97). The Wolverines downed Michigan State on Sept 4, then won the Sept 18 Spiked Shoe Invite before running poorly at the Sept 25 Sam Bell Invite 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 2nd at the Big-10 champs behind Wisconsin. Michigan was narrowly edged by Michigan State for 2nd at the Great Lakes Regional, but advanced with an at-large berth.

Northern Arizona, third at the Mountain Regional, finished 17th last fall and returns All-Americans Amy Swier (47th, 10th '97) and Emily Allison (33rd), along with Kendra Versendaal (132nd). The #18 Lumberjacks won the Sept 4 George Kyte meet, finished 3rd in Irvine on Sept 11 behind Arizona State and Arizona, 7th at Griak, and 15th at Pre-NCAAs. NAU claimed the Big Sky conference title, then finished 3rd at the Mountain Regional and advanced with an at-large berth.

Nebraska, 3rd at the Midwest Regional, tied for 23rd last fall at NCAAs. Michelle Brooks, Jaime Pauli (135th), Jeannette Zimmer (70th), Jaime Kruger, and newcomer Kathryn Handrup lead the #19 Huskers. Nebraska won the Sept 4 Bearcat Invite, finished 2nd to Kansas State on Oct 18 at the Woody Greeno Invite, 5th at Griak, 4th at the Oct 9 National Invite, and 2nd to Washington at the Wolverine Interregional. Nebraska finished 4th behind Colorado, Kansas State, and Missouri (the latter by a mere two points) at the Big 12 champs then 3rd at the Mountain Regional to advance to Bloomington with an at-large berth.

Northeast regional runner-up Brown was only 4th last fall at their regionals, but have stepped it up a notch this fall. Sara Tindall leads the #20 Bears, and is joined by Kim Thalman, frosh Rosie Woodford, Michelle Gross, and Laura Sobik. Brown perfect scored the field at the Sept 17 Harvard Open then won at the Oct 2 Iona Invite. The Bears had an off day at Pre-NCAAs, but rebounded with a win at the Oct 29 Heps. Brown will knocked off Boston University and Boston College at the Northeast Regional to claim the 2nd auto berth.

Southeast Regional third-placer Duke finished only 9th at last autumn's Southeast Regional, but have retooled this fall to claim a place on the starting line in Bloomington. 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. The Blue Devils won the Oct 11 Fordham Invite, finished a strong 8th 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. The Blue Devils rebounded at the Southeast Regional to upset several ranked teams and advanced with an at-large berth.

Minnesota, 4th at the Midwest Regional, finished 26th at the '98 NCAA meet. The #22 Gophers return last year's Midwest Regional champ Rasa Michniovaite, as well as Elaine Eggleston (191st) and NCAA 10k qualifier Corinne Nimitz (152nd). Minnesota scored a surprising 3rd 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 3rd close behind runner-up Michigan and narrowly ahead of Michigan State. The Gophers fell to 4th at the Midwest Regional but advanced with an at-large berth.

Despite losing last year's New England Regional champ Larissa Kleinmann to Arkansas, Northeast Regional third-place Boston University stepped up a notch this fall from last year's 6th-place regional finish. Ann Kovalsky, Lauren Matthews, and Kathryn Ireland lead the Terriers. BU finished a strong 2nd 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 fell to Providence and Brown at the Northeast Regional but claimed an at-large berth for Bloomington.

The Oregon Ducks, fifth at the West Regional, finished 12th last year in Lawrence and feature a young squad this fall. Tara Struyk, Eri MacDonald (Hawaii prep champ), Katie Crabb, Amy Nickerson (Oregon prep champ), and Rhiannon Glenn lead the #24 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 6th behind Stanford, Arizona State, Washington, UCLA, and Arizona. The Ducks turned the tables on Arizona at the West Regional to finish 5th and claim an at-large berth.

South Central Regional runner-up Texas finished 29th last fall in Lawrence. The #25 Longhorns return Liz Diaz (140th) and Maureen Sweeny (104th) from last fall's 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. The Longhorns then slipped back to 6th at the Big 12 champs but earned runner-up honors at the South Central Regional to claim the 2nd auto berth.

Others:
Following the departure of Amy Skieresz, Arizona coach Dave Murray has some big shoes to fill from last year's 16th-place team. He appears to have found another team leader in Tara Chaplin (85th), who is joined by Kristen Parrish (102nd, 60th '96), Katrin Englen, and Erin Doherty. The #27 Arizona Wildcats finished 7th at the Oct 2 Stanford Invite, then 19th at the Pre-NCAA meet. At the highly competitive PAC-10 champs, Arizona ran well in the unseasonably warm weather to finish 5th. The Wildcats finished 6th at the very deep West Regional and advanced to Bloomington with an at-large berth.

Boston College, 4th at the Northeast Regional, finished 3rd at last fall's regional but failed to advance. The Eagels are led by frosh Cate Guiney (7th FL) and former All-American Shannon Smith. The #28 Eagles finished 2nd at Sept 4 Central Connecticut, won on Sept 10 at Franklin Park, finished 11th at Griak, tied for 3rd 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 and 4th at the Northeast Regional, good enough to garner the final at-large berth and a trip to Bloomington.

South Regional champ South Florida finished 27th last year in Lawrence. Laura Kaepalisto and Adrea Dempsey lead the Bulls. South Florida beat Wake Forest at the Mountaineer Invite, finished 4th at the Sept 25 Sam Bell Invite and 3rd at the Auburn Invite behind Michigan State and North Carolina, won the Oct 15 South Florida Invite over Idaho and Northwestern, and edged Marquette to win the Conference USA title. South Florida won the South Regional to claim an auto qualifier for NCAAs.

Bucknell, 3rd at the Mid-Atlantic Regional, finish 9th at last fall's regional. The #32 Bison are led by Becki Marshall and Andrea Beiseer. 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. The Bison finished 3rd at the Mid-Atlantic regional and advanced to the NCAAs with an at-large berth thanks to wins over Brown and Florida at Pre-NCAAs.

South Regional runnerup Florida finished 22nd in Lawrence. Jennifer McGranahan (138th, 36th '97), Tamieka Grizzle (178th), Erin Merten (225th), and Ramona Saridakis (147th '97) return with NCAA experience, and are joined by sophomore Nora Allen. Kristine Jost (69th, 4th '96 for Villanova) chose to pursue her graduate work in Gainesville and leads the Gators. 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 runner-up finish behind Arkansas despite an off day by McGranahan. Florida claimed the 2nd auto berth behind South Florida.

Notre Dame, 4th at the Great Lakes Regional, also finished 4th last year at the regional but was only represented by Joanna Deeter (14th, 3rd '96) in Lawrence. Allison Klemmer and Jennifer Handley have led the squad since Deeter's mid-season injury. The Fighting Irish 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 ankle injury) finished only 22nd at Pre-NCAAs, 5th at the Big East Champs, and 4th at the Great Lakes Regional.

INDIVIDUALS
Arkansas' Amy Yoder finished third last fall in Lawrence behind Michigan's Katie McGregor and Arizona's Amy Skieresz, and is the top returnee. Yoder ran a solo 17:07 -- the fastest time this fall -- over the Indiana U course back on Sept 25 at the Sam Bell Invite, won the Oct 2 Stanford Invite in 16:41 -- the 2nd fastest ever over that oft run course -- over many of the nation's top runners and the Chili Pepper Festival, and took home the SEC title. Yoder brings 9:21/15:49.85 track credentials and the Kendalville, IN native will be running in front of a partisan crowd this weekend.

Yoder's teammates Larissa Kleinmann, Tracy Robertson, and Jessica Dailey will all be near the front of the pack. Kleinmann (9:16.66i/16:06.5i) won the South Central Regional, while Robertson (4:21.39/9:21.63) finished a close third at Stanford Invite and Dailey finished 10th last fall in Lawrence and recorded 4:18.87/9:22.77i/16:19.46 PBs last spring.

Kara Wheeler is the co-favorite for individual honors following an undefeated season that included wins at the Rocky Mountain Shootout, Pre-NCAAs (where she tied Yoder's 17:07 from three weeks earlier), Big 12s, and the Mountain Regional. Last spring, Wheeler finally overcame the lower leg injuries that plagued her during her first two collegiate seasons and finished second in the NCAA 3000 in Boise. She brings 4:21.55/9:16.53 track PBs to the starting line.

Stanford's Sally Glynn and Julia Stamps finished 5th and 6th last fall in Lawrence. Stamps won the West Regional and finished a close second to Yoder at the Stanford Invite, but struggled in heat at PAC-10s. Stamps finished 6th in the NCAA 3000 and recorded 9:27.07/16:29.07 times last spring. PAC-10 runner-up Glynn finished 5th in the NCAA 3000 and notched 9:18.40 last spring.

Joining Glynn and Stamps at the front are frosh Erin Sullivan and Lauren Fleshman. Sullivan is a two-time Foot Locker prep champ and a 10:14.09 3200-meter performer, won the PAC-10s and earned runner-up honors at Pre-NCAAs and the West Regional. Fleshman, last year's Foot Locker runner-up and 4:47.49/10:18.81 1600/3200 performer, finished 3rd at PAC-10s and West Regionals.

Texas Tech's Leigh Daniel burst onto the scene last year with a win at the NCAA the indoor 5k, followed by a win at 10k and a runner-up finish at 5k. The Red Raider also won the World University Games 10k and notched 9:17.68, 16:01.11, and 32:53.95 PBs in '99. This fall, she recorded wins at Sundodger and Cowboy Jamboree and finished 3rd at Pre-NCAAs and 2nd at Big 12s.

Wisconsin's Erica Palmer won the Big 10 champs and the Great Lakes Regional. As a frosh Palmer earned indoor 3k runner-up honors and ran 9:21.65i/16:03.24i/34:03.60 last spring.

Virginia Commonwealth's Marie-Elena Calle was eighth last fall in Lawrence, finished 3rd in Boise over 3000, and notched 9:21.70/16:27.67 PBs in the spring. This fall she notched wins at the Duke Invite, Lehigh, and the Colonial AA Champs prior to a runner-up finish at the Southeast Regional.

Villanova's Carmen Douma won the Big East Champs and the Mid-Atlantic Regional. She won the '98 NCAA 1500 and finished 6th at the '97 NCAA harrier meet. Teamate Kristen Nicolini was the Mid-Atlantic runner-up and finished 17th last fall in Lawrence.

Brigham Young's Laura Heiner (9:26.20), Elizabeth Jackson (9:19.23), Kara Ormond (16:15.01), Tara Rohatinsky (NCAA 10k runner-up), Sharolyn Shields (13th '98 XC; 9:18.70), and Susan Taylor will all be up near the front of the pack as the Cougars challenge for the team title.

Other individual contenders include Northeast Regional champ Heather Cappello (Providence) and runner-up Shannon Smith (Boston College), Southeast Regional Champ Trish Nervo (North Carolina), ACC champ Christy Nichols (NC State), Midwest Regional champ Amy Mortimer and runner-up Korene Hinds (Kansas State), and South Regional champ Catherine Wright (East Tenn).

Georgetown's Kristen Gordon (3rd Mid-Atlantic region, 4th '98 NCAAs), Tulane's Hanna Lyngstad (South Central runner-up), and Baylor's Karin Ernstrom (3rd South Central) will also contend for All-American honors.

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