Oct. 30, 2003
WACO, Texas - Baylor's cross country teams will travel to the Austin area to participate in the eighth Big 12 Cross Country Championships on Friday, Oct. 31. Head coach Todd Harbour takes a women's team to the meet that is ranked No. 1 in the region and 24th nationally while the men's team is ranked fourth regionally.
Three Big 12 women's teams are ranked ahead of Baylor nationally. Colorado sits at No. 9 while Missouri is No. 17 and Nebraska is No. 20. Only two Big 12 men's teams are ranked nationally, Colorado is No. 4 and Texas A&M sits at No. 25.
In Big 12 Cross country championship races, the Baylor women's top finish came in 1997 when they placed fourth, Cecelia Jeverstam and Karin Ernstrom both finished in the top ten that year. Last season the women crossed the finish line in fifth place, led by Debbie Thornhill's fourth place finish. Baylor's men's team finished in fourth in 2001 for their best-ever Big 12 showing. Matt Chance, a senior on this year's team, placed 10th to pace the Bears. Last year the Bears placed sixth.
The Women
The Baylor women's team has enjoyed considerable success this season despite being a very young squad. The Bears' top five runners are two freshman, two sophomores and a senior. Freshman Brittany Brockman has the Bears' fastest 6,000-meter time of the season. She ran a 21:14 at the NCAA Pre-National meet in Waterloo, Iowa, site of the NCAA Championships. Sophomore Angela Marvin was right behind her at 21:19 and sophomore Lisa Cornelius clocked at 21:40. Senior Erin Dixon and freshman Monique Ortega round out Baylor's top five on the season.
The Men
The men's team is more of a veteran squad than their female counterparts. Two seniors, Matt Chance and Kyle King, provide valuable leadership for the younger runners. Chance has been one of the Bears' top performers all year, posting a team-best 24:35 in the 8,000-meter race at the NCAA Pre-Nationals. King has been hampered by injuries all season but has continued to perform. Sophomores Rob Morrow, Bo Price and Jason Baker have been among Baylor's top five runners all season.
Chance is the only Baylor men's runner to place in the top 10 in Big 12 Cross Country Championship history. He finished 10th in 2001.
The Event
It's the eighth Big 12 Cross Country Championships Friday, October 31, at Barton Creek Lakeside Golf Course in Spicewood, Texas. The men's 8,000-meter race at 9 a.m. (CST), and women's 6,000-meter race will start at 10 a.m. (CST). The University of Texas is host for this year's event. Link up to the championships via the Big 12 web site at www.big12sports.com or at the Texas web site at www.TexasSports.com. Colorado's men's team has yet to lose a Big 12 cross country title and is an eight-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 four Big 12 titles - 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 - and has won six of the seven league titles with Kansas State winning the 1998 crown.
Where to Get Results
Championship results from the Big 12 cross country meet can be accessed via the Big 12 web site at www.big12sports.com or via the Texas web site at www.TexasSports.com or at www.BaylorBears.com.
Course History
This will mark the first time Barton Creek Lakeside Golf Course will host the Big 12 Cross Country Championships. This event and the Big 12 women's golf tournament are the lone conference championships to have a different venue every year since the Big 12 has existed.
Baylor Big 12 History
Women
Finish - top 10 finisher
1996 - 5th - N/A
1997 - 4th - Cecelia Jeverstam (8th), Karin Ernstrom (10th)
1998 - 5th - Sherri Smith (1st)
1999 - 7th - Karin Ernstrom (5th)
2000 - 9th - Kara Newton (5th)
2001 - 6th - Kara Newton (10th)
2002 - 5th - Debbie Thornhill (4th)
Men
Finish - top 10 finisher
1996 - 9th - N/A
1997 - 10th - N/A
1998 - 11th - N/A
1999 - 11th - N/A
2000 - 11th - N/A
2001 - 4th - Matt Chance (10th)
2002 - 6th - N/A
