Nov. 16, 2001

WACO, Texas - Kara Newton will be the lone Baylor participant at the 2001 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Greenville, S.C. on Mon., Nov. 19. Newton was the only Bear to advance out of the NCAA South Central Regional a week ago as the men's and women's teams narrowly missed automatic berths to the national championships finishing fourth and third, respectively in the team competitions.

For Newton this will be her second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships and the third time she has competed in the meet since arriving at Baylor. The senior from Amarillo, Texas qualified to last year's national championship as an individual, where she finished 63rd overall running the 6K race in 20:47. As a freshman Newton placed 193rd at the 1998 NCAA Championships and was a part of the Baylor team that recorded it's highest ever finish at the national meet, finishing eighth overall.

Newton comes into the race having had a tremendous season to date. She has yet to finish lower then 10th in any race this season, and had notched four top-five finishes. Highlights for Newton's season include a fifth place finish at the highly competitive Auburn Invitational and a fifth place finish at last week's NCAA South Central Regional.

Newton will depart for the Furman-hosted NCAA Championships Saturday to race Mon., Nov. 19th. Newton's race is slated to begin at 11:15 a.m. on the Furman cross country course.

Newton's Cross Country Stats To Date
Date        Meet                Distance    Time        PlaceSept. 8     UTA Season Opener       2 miles     11:40       2ndSept. 22    Baylor Invitational     5K      17:39.00    3rdSept. 29    Auburn Invitational     5K      16:59.42    5thOct. 27     Big 12 Championships        6K      21:19.9     10thNov. 10     NCAA South Central Regional 6K      20:57       5th