Nov. 6, 2003

WACO, Texas - The Baylor cross country teams will, for the second straight year, host the NCAA South Central Cross Country Regionals on Saturday, Nov. 15 at the Cottonwood Creek Golf Course. The men's 10,000-meter race will begin at 10 a.m. followed by the women's 6,000-meter race at 11:15 a.m. The top two teams in each race, as well as the first four individuals not on a qualifying team, automatically advance to the NCAA Championships in Waterloo, Iowa on Monday, Nov. 24.

Baylor's women's team comes into the meet ranked No. 1 in the region, followed by Arkansas. The Lady Bears finished fourth in the regional meet last season while Arkansas claimed the championship. Texas earned the other automatic bid to the NCAA Championships by finishing second. Arkansas' women have won five of the last six regional titles and 11 of the last 13. SMU's Karin van Rooyan will be back to defend her 2002 individual title. Baylor's top returning runner from last season's regional meet is Angela Marvin who took 14th. Baylor is coming off a best-ever second place finish in the Big 12 Championships. Sophomore Angela Marvin was Baylor's top finisher in 6th place while freshman Brittany Brockman was 8th and sophomore Lisa Cornelius placed 15th. Freshman Monique Ortega and senior Erin Dixon completed Baylor's scoring on the day.

Arkansas' men's team will be looking for their 15th-consecutive regional crown. The Razorbacks are currently ranked No. 1 in the region and 7th nationally. Arkansas' Alistair Cragg will be back to defend his individual title. He and teammate Jason Sandfort recently placed 3rd and 4th, respectively, at the SEC Championships. The Bears are led by senior Matt Chance who has been the team's top runner all season. He recently finished 9th at the Big 12 Championships. Sophomore Bo Price was 12th and senior Kyle King placed 21st. Last season King finished 17th in the regionals and Chance was 22nd.

The event is open to the public, no admission will be charged.

Top Five Teams in 2002 South Central Regional - Waco, Texas
Women
1. Arkansas
2. Texas
3. Texas A&M
4. Baylor University
5. Arkansas-Little Rock

Men
1. Arkansas
2. SMU
3. Texas A&M
4. Texas
5. Baylor

Women's South Central Regional Rankings
1. Baylor
2. Arkansas
3. Texas
4. TCU
5. Texas A&M
6. Rice
7. SMU
8. Stephen F. Austin
9. UT-Arlington
10. Tulane

Men's South Central Regional Rankings
1. Arkansas
2. Texas A&M
3. Baylor
4. Texas
5. Stephen F. Austin
6. Rice
7. Sam Houston State
8. Arkansas-Little Rock
9. SMU
10. LSU