CARY -- With the weather being typical North Carolina humidity and heat, the Cougars finished fourth at the Great American Cross Country Festival, Friday afternoon.

"I can't remember the last time we came in fourth place at a meet," said coach Patrick Shane. "This really was a tough meet."

Despite the heat and humidity, three-time All-American Laura Turner led the Cougars and finished fourth overall among a field of 154 runners.

"Laura ran really well today," Shane said. "She's a season veteran who's a tough runner to beat. She really looked strong out there."

The senior finished the 6K event, with a time of 17:04.55, with an average mile time of 4:34.8. Duke's Shannon Rowbury took the overall title as well as helping guide the Blue Devils to a first place overall victory.

"We got the chance to see how good we are today," said Shane. "I wasn't surprised where we finished as a team. We had a tough three weeks of training and we really didn't let up prior to the race."

Rena Chesser, who placed first overall at the BYU Autumn Classic three weeks ago, came across the line as the second Cougar to finish. The senior placed 12th with a time of 17:35.33. Behind Chesser and finishing 18th overall, was freshman Heidi Magill, who was competing in her first collegiate race.

"Rena and Heidi ran really well today," said Shane. "Heidi got her eyes opened a little bit and saw just how intense college level racing can be."

Despite coming in fourth place, the Cougars felt confident in the way they performed.

"We all feel we ran well as a team, despite where we finished," said Turner. "We pushed through the race and felt we competed hard as a team."

Two of the team's top runners didn't make the trip. Sophomore Amber Harper and junior Suzanna Logan. Shane feels the two should be ready to go in a couple of weeks.

"We definitely didn't run with our entire team here," said Shane. "We need to work on closing up our fourth and fifth spots."

Ever since the team lost their number one runner in Kassi Andersen, Shane says the team is working on identifying who they are.

"With the loss of Kassi, the team is searching and trying to identify themselves," said Shane. "We need to continue on the path of togetherness and toughness. If we do that will be okay."

Sophomore Anne Heiner placed 44th, with a time of 18:21.61. Senior Jami Caldwell finished 46th overall, with a time of 18:22.83 and sophomore Kristy Barrus finished 51st overall, with a time of 18:29.15.

"We have a very good team with the potential to be great," said Shane. "November 22, is the day we are looking forward too.

Great American Cross Countyry Festival - 10/1/2004
Women's 6K Run CC Nike Roc
Rank  Team             Total
1.    Duke University  56    1, 6, 10, 11, 28, 29, 33
2.    North Carolina   85    2, 3, 14, 30, 36, 47, 60
3.    Georgia          122   8, 17, 24, 34, 39, 75
4.    Brigham Young    124   4, 12, 18, 44, 46, 51, 53

PROVO -- This weekend marks the first road trip for both the men and women's cross country teams as the No. 9 ranked men's team travels to South Bend, Indiana for the Notre Dame Invitational, while the No. 3 ranked women head to Cary, North Carolina for the Great America.

Three weeks have passed since the two squads last competed in a meet, when the Cougars ran away with a sweep at the BYU Autumn Classic.

For the second week in a row, Josh Rohatinsky won the men's four-mile race with an impressive time of 19:31.9. The sophomore, who was the MWC Freshman of the Year in 2001, has run strong early in the year and is one of the reasons why the men are ranked in the top ten nationally.

Senior, Rena Williams-Chesser won the women's 5K three weeks ago, with a time of 17:55.1. The women are currently ranked No. 3 in the nation in several polls, due to the fact that the women are filled with the potential to return to the top.

"Our guys are chomping at the bit," said men's coach Ed Eyestone. "They want to get out and do some racing."

"We can run strong as a team, if we can keep our time differential down," said Eyestone. "If we can do that, we'll be a pretty tough team."

Some of the nations top teams like Stanford, Michigan, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Air Force, Alabama and UCLA will be competing against the Cougars as they look to keep the momentum flowing throughout the weekend.

Women's coach Patrick Shane said it's been a real plus for them not having to compete for these past couple of weeks. The women have had some tough practices and look to compete well this weekend in North Carolina.

"This will be a great week of competition," said Shane. "We've been able to train hard and continue to improve as a group. I'm excited to see some our top runners compete for the first time this season."

Both squads will compete Friday, October 1 as the men race in the Notre Dame Invitational, while the women compete in the 5K event at the Great America.