Teams Head Off to UC-Riverside Invitational

PROVO, Utah (Sept. 16. 2009) – Having won the BYU Autumn Classic two weeks ago, the BYU cross country teams will compete this weekend at the UC-Riverside Invitational against nearly 40 other schools.

“It will be a huge race,” said BYU women’s cross country head coach Patrick Shane. “With a field of almost 400 runners, it will create an atmosphere similar to what the NCAA Championships will be like. It will be a great practice for us to have pressure right from the starting line.”

The No. 25 women’s team will travel 10 runners to compete at the competition in an effort to further establish the depth chart and see how far the team has come thus far in the season. Those include Kendy Christensen, Sarah Edwards, Sarah Hansen-Frey, Michaelanne Laurent, Cecily Lemmon-Lew, Katie Palmer, Lindsey Sowards, Katie Swanson, Ashlee Thomas and Kathryn Vidmar.

“We should have a really strong chance at winning the race as a team,” Shane said. “There’s about a dozen runners who can win the individual race from all the schools that will be there, and I think Cecily will have a good shot at it. Our team has prepared well and I hope they can have a good race.”

UC-Santa Barbara, Lamar, and host school UC-Riverside are expected to give the Cougars a strong challenge to win the meet.

The men’s team, recently ranked No. 12 in the nation, will also travel to compete at the event and will travel 14 runners, many of whom competed at the BYU Autumn Classic. Jonathan Nelson and Travis Fuller, who ran unattached at the Autumn Classic, will be in uniform for the meet.

“There will be a lot of good teams this weekend,” said BYU men’s head coach Ed Eyestone. “It will give us another opportunity to evaluate our roster and determine a traveling team to compete at the Dellinger Invitational in a few weeks. Our guys are anxious for another chance to run in competition.”