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

Defending national champion BYU is among the teams that will compete at the 2002 Great American Cross Country Festival.

(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).