Oct. 12, 2005
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BAYLOR CROSS COUNTRY
TRAVELS TO THE CHILE PEPPER FESTIVAL
SATURDAY, OCT. 15
MEN - 10,000-METERS - 9:30 AM
NO. 13 WOMEN - 6,000-METERS - 10:30 AM
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK.
BAYLOR CROSS COUNTRY SET TO RUN AT CHILE PEPPER FESTIVAL
WACO, Texas-The Baylor cross country teams return to action this weekend when the Bears run at the Chile Pepper Festival on Saturday, Oct. 15. The men are scheduled to run a 10,000-meter race at 9:30 a.m. while the women will run in a 6,000-meter race beginning at 10:30 a.m.
"We are looking forward to finally getting back into action since we have had a three week break since we raced at the Roy Griak Invitational," head coach Todd Harbour said. "During that break we had some great workouts and we are excited about seeing where we are at as we prepare for the upcoming Big 12 Cross Country Championships."
The No. 13 Baylor women are making their first appearance at the Chile Pepper Festival since 2000, when the Bears finished fourth. The men are making their second consecutive appearance at the meet after running to a sixth-place finish a year ago.
The Baylor women enter the meet after a strong showing at the Roy Griak Invitational. Brittany Brockman led the way for the Bears, finishing sixth overall to lead the women to a fourth-place finish overall. For her performance, Brockman earned Big 12 Conference Runner of the Week honors for the second time this season. Freshman Erin Bedell also had a strong performance at the meet, finishing second among Baylor runners and 16th overall.
On the men's side, Baylor will be led by sophomore Jacob Jones. Jones ran for the Bears at last year's Chile Pepper Festival, finishing the course in a time of 34:17.9. At the Roy Griak Invitational, Jones finished in a time of 26:37 to lead a young Baylor squad to a 27th-place finish.
The meet will mark a homecoming of sorts for two Baylor runners on the women's side as Jessi Barnes, who hails from Bentonville, Ark., and Lauren Hagans, a native of Little Rock, Ark., will compete in cross country in their home state for the first time as Baylor runners.
Brittany Brockman NAMED BIG 12 RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Baylor women's cross country runner Brittany Brockman was named Big 12 Conference Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week for her performance at the Roy Griak Invitational the conference office announced. The selection marks the second time this season Brockman has been chosen for the honor.
Brockman, a junior from Houston, Texas, finished sixth at the Roy Griak Invitational to help lead the No. 13 Bears to a third-place finish overall. It was her highest career finish at the event as Baylor sat first among the five Big 12 schools that competed. Brockman concluded the 6,000-meter race in a time of 21:08 and earned the 10th top-10 finish of her career.
With two selections this season, Brockman has been named Big 12 runner of the week four times during her career.
WOMEN'S TEAM CLIMBS TO NO. 13 IN LATEST NATIONAL POLL
The Baylor women's cross country team climbed to No. 13 in the latest FinishLynx NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country National Poll, the highest ranking for the women's team since the team was ranked No. 9 in the 1999 preseason poll.
The Baylor women's cross country team is coming off a strong showing at the Roy Griak Invitational, where the Bears finished third and first among the Big 12 Conference schools that competed at the event. The Bears were led by junior Brittany Brockman, who finished sixth overall.
The performance at the Roy Griak Invitational gives the Bears a good shot at qualifying for their 10th appearance, and third consecutive, in the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Baylor defeated eight ranked teams at the Roy Griak Invitational; putting them in good shape for an at-large berth into the championships should the team fail to qualify automatically at the NCAA South Central Regional.
Baylor was one of four Big 12 schools ranked in the poll as the Bears trailed only Colorado, ranked second nationally, among conference schools. In the regional poll, Baylor was ranked second behind only Arkansas.
Lauren Hagans WINS FIRST CAREER TITLE
Sophomore Lauren Hagans picked up her first career title after teaming with Brittany Brockman to win the Bear Relays. Hagans held off Erin Bedell at the finish by less than a second to claim her first career individual title.
Hagans used the momentum from the victory to have another strong showing at the Texas A&M Invitational. The sophomore finished third at the meet after posting a time of 17:21 on the 5,000-meter course.
BEDELL SISTERS MAKING THEIR MARK FOR THE BEARS
Sophomore Lyndsy Bedell and freshman Erin Bedell form a formative family duo for the Baylor cross country team as the two sisters from Plano, Texas, look to play an important role on this year's version of the Baylor cross country team. In their latest race, Erin Bedell finished second among Baylor runners, 16th overall, at the Roy Griak Invitational while Lyndsy Bedell raced to a 76th-place finish at the event.
Lyndsy Bedell found success in her first year as a Baylor runner and is looking for a strong showing throughout the 2005 season. As a freshman, Lyndsy was an all-region selection after finishing 23rd at the NCAA South Central Region Cross Country Championships last season in a career best time of 21:37 over the 6,000-meter course. In addition, Lyndsy claimed two top-ten finishes a year ago, placing third at the Bear Relays while finishing ninth at the North Texas Opener.
Erin Bedell enters her freshman year as one of the most heralded cross country athletes to enter the Baylor cross country program. In high school, Bedell racked up and extensive list of athletic honors, including being named the Texas Girls' Gatorade Track and Field Athlete of the Year her senior year. The freshman claimed the Texas state individual title in the 1,600-meters her junior and senior year and holds the state record in the event with a time of 4:43.58. This past summer, Bedell helped lead the Metroplex Striders to the national cross country championship and finished 28th at the IAAF Junior World Cross Country Championships in France.
Monique Ortega RETURNING FROM INJURY
After missing the first meet of the season due to an injury, junior Monique Ortega has returned to the course and has ran in the Bears last two races. After finishing in 10th-place at the Texas A&M Invitational, Ortega raced to a 50th-place finish at the Roy Griak Invitational, running the 6,000-meter course in a time of 22:18.
"Monique (Ortega) is still coming back from a hamstring injury," head coach Todd Harbour said. "She did not feel as strong as she would have liked; but, she has been feeling better each week."
The return of Ortega could be important for the Bears as the junior earned all-region honors last season after placing 21st at the NCAA South Central Regional. At the meet, Ortega set a personal record with a time of 21:41 over the 6,000-meter course.
Bo Price AND Rob Morrow TO REDSHIRT DURING 2005
With an abundance of freshman leading the 2005 men's cross country team, head coach Todd Harbour has decided to redshirt seniors Bo Price and Rob Morrow. Running unattached at the Texas A&M Invitational, Price captured the individual title as Morrow finished in second-place.
Price and Morrow have earned an extensive list of honors throughout their careers and the redshirt season should help make the men's team a force in the Big 12 Conference throughout the 2006 season. Price, a senior from Atlanta, Ga., is a two-time all-conference selection and earned all-conference and all-region selections a year ago.
Morrow, who missed most of last season with an injury, will return in 2006 for his senior season. After scoring for Baylor in every meet as a sophomore in 2004, Morrow raced to two top-ten finishes in 2005 before being sidelined by an injury for the rest of the season. The native of Grapevine, Texas, is a three-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll.
BAYLOR TO HOST BIG 12 CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
For the first time in school history, Baylor University will host the Big 12 Cross Country Championships, hosting the event on Friday, Oct. 28, at the new Bear Run Cross Country Course. Not only does the event mark the first time Baylor will host the championships; but, this year marks the 10th year of the event after the Big 12 Conference was formed in 1996.
Colorado is the defending men's and women's team champion after sweeping the title last season. Last year, Baylor earned a fourth-place finish on the women's side while the men finished seventh.
NEW CROSS COUNTRY COURSE TO MAKE ITS DEBUT
New to the Baylor cross country team during the 2005 season is the newly created Bear Run Cross Country Course, which will host the 2005 Big 12 Cross Country Championships. The course, which was created in partnership with the Army Corp of Engineers, is located near Lake Waco (3331 Airport Rd.), a 7,000-acre man-made lake which features over 60 miles of shoreline.
The course features one of the most unique perspectives in the country for fans attending a race. From certain points along the course, fans viewing a race at Bear Run Cross Country Course can see the entire race without having to move throughout the course.
BAYLOR TO HOST NCAA SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL
For the fourth consecutive year, Baylor will play host to the NCAA South Central Regional Cross Country Championships. This year, Baylor will host the event at Cottonwood Creek Golf Club on Nov. 12, 2005. The top-two teams on the men's and women's side will advance to the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., on Monday, Nov. 21.
Last season, the Baylor women finished third at the event and earned an at-large berth in the NCAA championships while the men raced to a seventh-place finish.
NEXT TIME OUT
Baylor will host the 10th-Annual 2005 Big 12 Cross Country Championships on Friday, October 28, at Bear Run Cross Country Course. The men will run an 8,000-meter race at 10:00 a.m. with the women set to run a 6,000-meter race at 11:00 a.m.
