Preview - College

| Top College Teams by Greg Hipp |

Great American Features Rematch
of 2001 Top Three NCAA Women's Squads

by Mike Scott

(Charlotte, NC) -- Although the Great American Cross Country Festival is
best known as the nation's premier high school in-season invitational,
this year's edition has become the place to race for top-rated collegiate
squads.

Founded in 1999, the Great American Cross Country Festival quickly gained
the reputation as the gathering place for America's top prep squads. This
fall Great American is expected to feature the top high school squads
from 40 states, as well as teams from Great Britain, Canada, and Mexico.

Great American added collegiate sections for the first time in 2000.
Thirty-one women's teams and twenty-nine men's teams participated in last
fall's edition -- including the eventual top-2 women's teams at the NCAA
championships. This year, the collegiate section has expanded to fill
six races -- with 52 women's and 46 men's squads currently entered. The
men's and women's university seeded races feature many of the top
collegiate teams in the country, with 9 of the top 30 women's squads and
7 of the top 30 men's squads in the current edition of the D-1 coaches'
polls.

On the women's side, the field features a rematch of the top 3 teams from
last year's NCAA championships -- Brigham Young University (#1 in the
coaches' poll), North Carolina State (#6), and Georgetown (#2) --
contested just down Interstate-29 at Furman University in Greenville, SC.

Last year at Furman, BYU's Cougars simply dominated the NCAA finals --
winning by the largest margin in NCAA history. Returning 5 members of
the 7 that raced at the NCAA meet, BYU is heavily favored to repeat as
NCAA Champions. NCAA fifth-place finisher Michaela Manova, winner of the
NCAA steeple title last spring, and seventh-place finisher Jessie
Kindschi are expected to lead the Cougars. Lindsey Thompsen (23rd). Nan
Kennard (36th), and Amy Bair (45th) also return from their '01
championship squad. Any number of athletes -- including Kassi Anderson,
Devra Vierkant, Breanne Sandberg, and Kristen Ogden -- could join this
exceptional quintet as part of BYU's seven.

North Carolina State and Georgetown, last year's 2nd and 3rd place teams
respectively, aren't planning to just give away the first-place trophy to
the Cougars without a fight. NC State's Wolfpack downed BYU at last
year's Great American Festival before claiming runner-up honors at the
NCAA championships. The Wolfpack returns NCAA 10,000 champ Kristen
Price, 4th at last fall's harrier championships, and Megan Coombs, 13th
at NCAAs, as well as Josi Lauber (173rd) from last fall's NCAA squad, and
gain standout frosh Julia Lucas and Villanova transfer Renee Gunning
(103rd).

The Georgetown Hoyas return all seven runners from the group that placed
3rd at Furman. Jill Laurendeau, and Erin Sicher will lead Georgetown,
with US Junior national team member Nicole Lee, Jodee Adams-Moore, and
Colleen Kelly also returning.

Three more squads that have the talent to challenge the top teams are
North Carolina (#35), Arkansas (#7), and Duke (#8). UNC finished 8th
last year in Furman and features standout athletes Shalane Flanagan,
Carol Henry, and Erin Donohue. Arkansas finished 17th in Furman and
returns Christin Wurth, Andriena Byrd, and Londa Bevins, as well 1999
NCAA bronze medallist Lilli Kleinmann. Duke returns 2000 7th-place
finisher Sheila Agrawal from redshirt, plus hit paydirt in the recruiting
wars with newcomers Caroline Bierbaum, Clara Horowitz, Shannon Rowbury,
Sally Meyerhoff, and Laura Stanley among last year's top preps.

Northern Arizona (#11) finished 12th at the 2001 NCAAs and returns NCAA
steeple runner-up Ida Nilsson, while #26 Virginia finished 9th and #17
Colorado State 20th. Georgia Tech (#36) claimed 26th last fall behind
Renee Metivier's surprising NCAA runner-up performance. William & Mary
(#15) failed to qualify for the 2001 NCAA champs, but is running quite
well this fall.

The men's collegiate competition features three top-10 rated teams:
Northern Arizona (#5), North Carolina State (#7), and Georgetown (#8).

The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks finished 4th at last fall's NCAA
championships. All-Americans Travis Laird, 10th at last year's NCAA
meet, and Henrik Ahnstrom, 25th last year, return to lead the
Lumberjacks. Joining them are Tyler Williams (126th) and Seth Watkins
(145th), as well as newcomer Nurani Sheikh, 4th at last year's Foot
Locker Championships.

North Carolina State's Wolfpack finished 9th in Furman and returns Chad
Pearson (31st), Devin Swann (95th), David Christian (100th), Andy Smith
(147th), and two-time Foot Locker finalist Ricky Brookshire.

The Georgetown Hoyas claimed 15th at last year's championships. Rob
Koborsi (73rd), Chris Esselborn (86th), Javon Broderick (139th), Dan
Tebbano (140th), Dylan Welsh (214th) all return with NCAA experience,
while Franklyn Sanchez finished 5th in 2000 but has struggled since with
injuries.

The #17 Colorado State Rams finished 22nd in 2001 and are led by Bill
Michel (74th), Dylan Olchin 105th and Austin Vigil. The #18 Duke's Blue
Devils finished 14th and return Chris Williams 88th, Michael Hatch 109th,
Jared Moore 111th). Butler (#25) finished 24th and is led by Marty
Fedmowski (63rd).

Mike Scott
Vice Chair/Secretary, USATF Cross Country Council
Clubs Coordinator, Team USA Distance Running
Coordinator, CanAm High Performance Distance Circuit
[email protected]
http://miscott.home.att.net/

College Teams include many high ranking squads

by Greg Hipp

Men's University Seeded (182 runners)
1Appalachian State (#8 Southeast D-I, #1 SoCon D-I)
2Baylor (#4 South Central D-I)
3Brown
4Bucknell (#7 Mid-Atlantic D-I)
5Butler (#24 D-I, #4 Great Lakes D-I)
6Clemson (#7 Southeast D-I)
7Charlotte (#10 Southeast D-I)
8Coastal Carolina (#10 Southeast D-I, #3 Big South D-I))
9Colorado State (#16 D-I, #5 Mountain D-I)
10Duke (#19 D-I, #3 Southeast D-I)
11High Point (#6 Southeast D-I, #1 Big South D-I))
12Loyola-Chicago
13Florida (#5 South)
14Florida International
15Florida State (receiving votes D-I, #3 South D-I)
16Georgetown (#8 D-I, #2 Mid-Atlantic D-I)
17Georgia Tech (#8 South D-I)
18James Madison (#8 Southeast D-I)
19La Salle (#4 Mid-Atlantic D-I)
20Miami
21NC State (#7 D-I, #1 Southeast D-I)
22Northern Arizona (#5 D-I, #2 Mountain D-I)
23South Florida
24UNC-Chapel Hill
25Virginia (#4 Southeast D-I)
26Western Carolina (#9 Southeast D-I)

Men's Collegiate Open (140 runners)
1Alabama-Huntsville (#6 South D-II)
2Campbell
3Concord College
4Davidson College
5Emory (#25 D-III)
6Gardner-Webb
7Harding (#4 D-II, #1 South D-II))
8Mary Washington
9Millersville (#11 D-II, #1 East D-II))
10Newberry
11North Florida (#18 D-II, #3 South D-II))
12Richmond
13Samford (#9 South D-I)
14UNC-Asheville
15UNC-Greensboro
16USC-Spartaburg
17Virginia Commonwelth
18Washington & Lee
19Wingate (#9 East D-II)
20Wofford

Men's Collegiate "B" & Open (cap 182 runners)
1Alabama-Huntsville "B"
2Appalachian State "B"
3Appalachian State "C"
4Coastal Carolina "B"
5Davidson "B"
6Duke "B"
7Georgetown "B"
8High Point "B"
9Loyola "B"
10Mary Washington "B"
11Miami "B"
12Millersville "B"
13NC State "B"
14North Florida "B"
15UNC-Chapel Hill "B"
16UNC-Greensboro "B"
17Virginia "B"
18Wingate "B"
19Wolfpack-UNA
20Hansons TC
21Atlanta TC

Women' University Seeded (182 runners)
1 Arkansas (#7 D-I)
2 Baylor (recieving votes, #36 D-I)
3 Brigham Young (#1 D-I)
4 Brown
5 Butler
6 Coastal Carolina (#30 D-I, #6 Southeast D-I, #1 Big South D-I)
7 Colorado State (#20 D-I)
8 Columbia (#26 D-I)
9 Duke (#8 D-I, #2 Southeast D-I))
10 Florida
11 Florida State
12 Georgetown (#2 D-I)
13 Georgia Tech (#32 D-I)
14 Iowa
15 James Madison (#35 D-I, #10 Southeast D-I))
16 Loyola-Chicago
17 La Salle (receiving votes, #39 D-I)
18 Mississippi State
19 NC State (#6 D-I, #1 Southeast D-I))
20 Northern Arizona (#10 D-I)
21 Richmond (#8 Southeast D-I)
22 South Florida (#36 D-I)
23 UNC-Chapel Hill (#31 D-I, #7 Southeast D-I))
24 Gardner-Webb
25 Virginia (#26 D-I, #5 Southeast D-I))
26 William & Mary (William & mary #13 D-I, #3 Southeast D-I))

Women's Collegiate Open (182 runners)
1 Alabama-Huntsville (#6 South D-II)
2 Appalachian State (#2 SoCon)
3 Bucknell
4 Campbell
5 Charlotte
6 Clemson
7 Concord College
8 Davidson College (#6 SoCon D-I)
9 Emory (#24 D-III)
10 Florida International
11 Virginia-Commonwelth
12 Harding (#3 South D-II)
13 High Point (#8 Big South D-I)
14 Mary Washington
15 Millersville
16 Newberry
17 North Florida (#7 D-II, #1 South D-II))
18 Peace College
19 Samford
20 UNC-Asheville (#3 Big South D-I)
21 UNC-Greensboro (#4 SoCon D-I)
22 USC-Spartanburg
23 Washington & Lee
24 Western Carolina (#3 SoCon D-I)
25 Wingate (#5 Southeast D-II)
26 Wofford (#12 SoCon D-I)

Women's College "B" & Open (cap 182 runners)
1 Alabama-Huntsville "B"
2 Appalachian State "B"
3 Appalachian State "C"
4 Brigham Young "B"
5 Coastal Carolina "B"
6 Davidson "B"
7 Georgetown "B"
8 Mary Washington "B"
9 Millersville "B"
10 Mississippi State "B"
11 NC State "B"
12 NC State "C"
13 North Florida "B"
14 UNC-Chapel Hill "B"
15 UNC-Greensboro "B"
16 Virginia "B"
17 William & Mary "B"
18 Wingate "B"
19 Wolfpack-UN

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