Oct. 23, 2001

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Bears Headed to Big 12 Championships After a weekend off Baylor's cross country team will travel to Norman, Okla. Sat., Oct. 27 for the 2001 Big 12 Conference Championships. The race will be held at the Jimmie Austin/OU Golf Course with action beginning at 10 a.m. The men will open the day's event with the an 8,000-meter race, and the women will follow with a 6,000-meter run at 11 a.m.

Last Year at the Big 12 Championships The Bears are hoping to improve on their finishes from the 2000 conference championships as the women placed ninth and the men finish 11th overall. Kara Newton was BU's top women's runner finishing fifth, while Ferenc Bekesi paced the men's squad placing 33rd overall.

Big 12 Championships History Colorado's men's team has yet to lose a Big 12 cross country title and is a six-time defending league champion dating back to the final year of the Big Eight Conference in 1995. The CU women's team has won the last two Big 12 titles - 1999, 2000 - and has won four of the five league titles with Kansas State winning the 1998 crown.

Leaders of the Pack Senior Kara Newton has been Baylor's top runner in all three meets she has particpated in this season. Newton has yet to finish lower then fifth overall in 2001, and her season was highlighted by a fifth place finish at the Auburn Invitational. For her efforts Newton has been recognized as the Big 12 Runner of the Week by the conference office twice this year (Sept. 11 and Sept. 25).

Junior Ferenc Bekesi and sophomore Matt Chance have been battling it out all season for BU's top honors. Bekesi was the top Bear finisher at the Baylor Invitational and the NCAA Pre-Meet, while Chance finished in Baylor's top spot at the UTA Season Opener and the Auburn Invitational. Both Bekesi and Chance have been recognized as the Big 12 Runner of the Week once this season.

Last Time Out Baylor concluded the regular season with a solid showing at the fiercly competitive NCAA Pre-Meet in Greenville, S.C. In a race featuring 14 squads that were either ranked or receiving votes, BU's men's team finished 15th out of the field of 35 teams. The Bears' top runner, junior Ferenc Bekesi, placed 56th overall. Sophomore Matt Chance followed closely behind finishing 61st and sophomore Nick Devenport rounded out Baylor's top-three placing 67th overall.

Without two of its top runners, in senior Kara Newton and freshman Jessa Vacek, the Lady Bears placed 23rd out of 37 teams at the NCAA Pre-Meet. Junior Erin Dixon paced the Baylor squad finishing in 71st place.

10 Athletes Earn Academic All-Big 12 Honors 10 members of the Baylor cross country team earned academic all-Big 12 honors the conference office announced Tuesday. Seven women and three men were honored for their accomplishments in the classroom. Sophomore Megan McCoin was one of 12 Big 12 athletes recognized for maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA. A complete list of Baylor's academic honorees follows below.

First Team (3.20-plus grade point average, *indicates nominated with a 4.0 GPA)Name                    Class   Major                     HometownKara Newton            Sr. History                   Amarillo, TexasKatherine Duncan  So. Undecided                 Roscoe, TexasLeah Marbach          Jr. Child and Family Studies  Kingwood, TexasStephanie Bennett    Jr. Biology                   Richmond, Ontario, CanadaLanie Millar          Sr. English & Spanish     St. Louis, Mo.Erin Dixon          Jr. Nutrition             Kingwood, Texas*Megan McCoin           So. Undecided             Houston, TexasAlex Adler          Jr. History                   Austin, TexasMatthew Chance          So. Pre-Business              Colleyville, Texas
Second Team (3.0 to 3.19 grade point average)Name                    Class   Major                     HometownJonathan Capron         Sr. Human Performance     Albuquerque, N.M.