Oct. 26, 2005
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BAYLOR CROSS COUNTRY HOSTS THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
FRIDAY, OCT. 28
MEN - 8,000-METERS - 10:00 AM - NO. 20 WOMEN - 6,000-METERS - 11:00 AM
BEAR RUN CROSS COUNTRY COURSE
WACO, TEXAS
BAYLOR CROSS COUNTRY HOSTS 2005 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
WACO, Texas - For the first time in school history, the Baylor cross country team will host the Big 12 Cross Country Championships when the Bears return to action on Friday, October 28. The meet, which will be the first collegiate race held at Bear Run Cross Country Course, will begin at 10:00 a.m. with the men's 8,000-meter race and will conclude with the women's 6,000-meter race at 11:00 a.m.
"It is a great opportunity to host the Big 12 Championships," head coach Todd Harbour said. "The new course is one of the only courses in the country where fans will have an opportunity to see the entire race without moving from a particular spot. It is a great opportunity for our team and we are excited to showcase this new course and host this prestigious event."
The Baylor women enter the meet ranked No. 20 in the country after a strong showing at the Chile Pepper Festival where the Bears finished third overall. Baylor will be led by junior Brittany Brockman, who has been the first Bear to cross the line in every race this season after finishing second overall and establishing a new personal record at the Chile Pepper meet.
Brockman led the way for the Bears at last year's Big 12 Championships, leading Baylor to a fourth-place finish overall after earning all-conference honors with a 13th-place finish.
Jacob Jones should pace the Bears on the men's side after racing to a 60th-place finish at the Chile Pepper Festival. Jones will lead a young Bears men's squad into the 2005 Big 12 Championships as a number of Baylor men's runners will be making their first career appearance at the meet.
Last season, Baylor finished seventh overall as Jones is the only runner on this year's squad to race in the last year's event. At the 2004 Big 12 Championships, Jones finished in 76th-place.
Colorado is the defending champion on the men's and women's side as the Buffaloes have captured all but one conference title during the nine-year history of the event.
Admission to the championships is free and open to the public.
BAYLOR WOMEN LAND FOUR ON ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12 TEAM
Four Baylor women's cross country runners garnered attention this week for their work in the classroom and on the course as Jessi Barnes, Lyndsy Bedell, Brittany Brockman and Brittany McGuire were named first-team Academic All-Big 12 Conference the league office announced on Tuesday.
The selections for Brockman, a junior majoring in business, and McGuire, a junior majoring in journalism, mark the second time they have been named academic all-conference. Barnes, a sophomore majoring in business, and Bedell, a sophomore majoring in business, each picked up their first academic all-conference selection.
To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of his/her team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.
WOMEN'S TEAM NO. 20 IN LATEST NATIONAL POLL
The Baylor women's cross country team is ranked No. 20 in the latest FinishLynx NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country National Poll, down from the No. 14 ranking the Baylor women held heading into the Chile Pepper Festival.
Although the Bears dropped six spots in the rankings, the Baylor women's cross country team is coming off a strong showing at the Chile Pepper Festival, where the Bears finished third overall and second among Big 12 Conference schools. The Bears were led by junior Brittany Brockman, who finished second overall.
The performance at the Chile Pepper Festival, combined with 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 and Oklahoma State in the national rankings among conference schools. In the regional poll.
FIVE BEARS ESTABLISH NEW PERSONAL RECORDS
In leading the Baylor women to a third-place team finish at the Chile Pepper Festival, four Baylor runners established personal records as Brittany Brockman, Erin Bedell, Lauren Hagans and Brittany McGuire each established career times over the 6,000-meter course while Jacob Jones established a new personal record for 10,000-meters on the men's side.
For the fourth consecutive meet, Brittany Brockman led the way for the Baylor women, completing the 6,000-meter course with a personal-record time of 20:33 to finish third overall. Freshman Erin Bedell also established a new personal record, finishing seventh overall with a time of 20:52.
Sophomore Lauren Hagans, who also established a personal record, was the third Baylor runner to cross the line, finishing 23rd overall with a time of 21:24.
Brittany McGuire was the fourth Baylor runner to establish a new personal record as she finished the 6,000-meter course in a time of 21:27 as she finished 24th overall.
On the men's side, Jacob Jones led the way for Baylor, finishing 60th overall with a personal record time of 31:34 on the 10,000-meter course.
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 three races. At the Chile Pepper Festival, Ortega raced to a 29th-place finish with a time of 21:37.8.
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.
Jacob Jones CONTINUES TO LEAD BAYLOR MEN
For the fourth consecutive meet, sophomore Jacob Jones led the way for the Baylor men as Jones paced the men to a 20th-place team finish at the Chile Pepper Festival. Jones led all Baylor men's runners at the meet, finishing in 60th-place overall with a time of 31:34.7 over the 10,000-meter course.
Jones had his best overall showing at the Texas A&M Invitational, where he finished 11th-overall and paced the Bears to a third-place team finish.
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.
NEXT TIME OUT
Baylor will return to action on Nov. 12, 2005, when the Bears host the 2005 NCAA South Central Regional at Cottonwood Creek Golf Club.
