Nov. 5, 2002
WACO, Texas - The Baylor cross country teams look to defend their home course when they host the 2002 NCAA South Central Cross Country Regional on Saturday, Nov. 16 at the Cottonwood Creek Golf Course. Action is set to begin at 9 a.m. with the women's 6,000-meter race followed by the men's 10,000-meter race at 10 a.m. The top two teams in each race, as well as the first four individuals, will advance to the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. on Monday, Nov. 25.
The Baylor women narrowly missed an automatic NCAA berth last season, taking third at the regional at Texas A&M. Senior transfer Debbie Thornhill leads the Bears into postseason action. She finished 10th in the region last season while competing for North Texas. She is coming off a fourth-place showing at the Big 12 Championships last weekend. She recorded a time of 20:54.44 on the 6,000-meter course. She has finished among the Top 20, as well as pacing the Baylor squad, in every meet she has competed in this season. Also running well heading into NCAA regional action is newcomer Angela Marvin. She earned Big 12 Runner of the Week honors on Oct. 12 after finishing the 6,000-meter Texas A&M Invitational course in 21:37 to take second place. With a time of 21:31.77, Marvin finished 16th at the Big 12 Championships. Overall, the women finished fifth at the conference meet.
The men's squad took fourth place at the 2001 NCAA South Central Regional. The Bears are coming off a sixth-place showing at the Big 12 Championships last weekend. Senior transfer Kyle King and junior Matt Chance have taken turns pacing the Baylor men in the big meets this season. Chance led the Bears at the Asics/Pacesetter Pre-Nationals in October. He also took 21st at the conference meet (24:49.11) last week, just seconds behind King. Recording a time of 24:42.84 on the 8,000-meter course, King finished 17th at the Big 12 Championships. King also paced the men's team at the Great American Cross Country Festival in September. At the 2001 regional, Chance recorded a time of 31:02 on the 10K course to finish 15th, edging out King, who recorded a time of 31:21 to finish 24th while competing for North Texas.
Arkansas took both the men's and women's regional titles in 2001. Big 12 foes Texas and Texas A&M will also compete in the South Central Regional as well as other collegiate squads from the states of Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.
