Nov. 18, 2006
NCAA Championship Preview
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The Baylor women's cross country team will compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championship for the fourth consecutive season Monday, Nov. 20 in Terre Haute, Ind. The team earned an automatic berth into the 6,000-meter championship after finishing second at last weekend's NCAA South Central Regional.
"We are very excited about returning for the fourth straight year - that equals our programs best consecutive years since the 1989-1992 appearances." head coach Todd Harbour said. "We're excited and the girls are ready to go. We've been pointing to this meet the whole season and we knew we had a good shot to be there."
Last seasons at the championships, the Bears finished 15th, the highest finish for the women's team since 1998 when the Bears finished eighth. Sophomore Erin Bedell led the Bears finishing 40th overall.
Baylor is coming off a strong showing at the NCAA South Central Regional as the Bears raced to a second-place finish. Senior Monique Ortega led the Bears finishing 10th overall, while freshman Nichole Jones finished 13th to earn All-Region honors.
Juniors Lauren Hagans (16th, 21:07.9) and Lyndsy Bedell (17th, 21:10.6) also secured All-Region honors with top 20 finishes, while senior Brittany McGuire (27th, 21:51.7) rounded out the scoring for the Bears. Senior Ruth Waller (30th, 21:59.3) and freshman Danielle Bradley (38th, 22:17.4) also had strong showings for the Bears.
The Bears have had a history of success at the NCAA Championship with Baylor's highest team finish coming in 1998, when the Bears finished eighth. Natalie Nalepa claims Baylor's highest individual finish at the national meet with a fifth-place finish in 1991.
The Bears are ranked 30th in the USTFCCCA Division I Women's Cross Country Poll after their performance last weekend at the NCAA South Central Regional.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP LINEUP
Lyndsy Bedell
Junior - Plano, Texas
Competed in all six events for the Bears finishing every meet in the top-25. Bedell's top finishes came at the Bear Relays and the North Texas Invitational, finishing second. She finished 25th at the Roy Griak Invitational and lead the Bears at the Chile Pepper Festival, finishing 19th. She raced to a 16th place finish at the Big 12 Championship and finished 17th at the NCAA South Central Regional. Bedell was named to the All-Region team and the Academic All-Big 12 team.
Danielle Bradley
Freshman - West Palm Beach, Fla.
Ran in all six events with her strongest finish at the Bear Relays, finishing sixth. She finished just out of the top 10 with an 11th-place finish at the North Texas Invitational. She finished 69th at the Roy Griak Invitational and 74th at the Chile Pepper Festival. Bradley finished 41st at the Big 12 Championship and raced to a 38th-place finish at the NCAA South Central Regional.
Lauren Hagans
Junior - Little Rock, Ark.
Competed in five of the events with four top 25 finishes. She raced to a second place finish at the Bears Relay and finished sixth at the North Texas Invitational. She finished 24th at the Roy Griak Invitational and 40th at the Big 12 Championship. At the NCAA South Central Regional she finished third for the Bears with a 16th-place finish. Hagans was named to the All-Region team.
Loren Hodges
Freshman - Paradise, Texas
Ran in four of the events with two top 10 finishes. She ran to a sixth place finish at the Bear Relays and finished fourth North Texas Invitational. Hodges finished 87th at the Roy Griak Invitational and 67ths at the Chili Pepper Festival.
Nichole Jones
Freshman - Spring, Texas
Ran in all six events posting two individual victories. Jones finished every race in the top 20 and is the Bear's top finisher. She captured the individual titles at both the Bear Relays and the North Texas Invitational. She led the Bears at the Roy Griak Invitational, finishing 16th overall and finished 20th at the Chile Pepper Festival. She raced to a 10th-place finish at the Big 12 Championship to lead the Bears and was second for Baylor at the NCAA South Central Regional, finishing 13th. Jones was also named to the All-Big 12 and All-Region teams.
Brittany McGuire
Senior - Humble, Texas
Ran in five events for the Bears with her best finish at the Bear Relays, finishing fifth. She ran to a 22nd-place finish at the North Texas Invitational and finished 60th at the Chile Pepper Festival. McGuire finished 75th at the Big 12 Championship and was the fifth Baylor runner to finish at the NCAA South Central Regional, finishing 27th. She was also named to the Academic All-Big 12 team.
Monique Ortega
Senior - El Paso, Texas
Competed in all six events and claimed three top 10 finishes. She raced to a fourth place finish at the Bear Relays and finished eighth at the North Texas Invitational. At the Roy Griak Invitational, she finished 33rd and was third for the Bears at the Chile Pepper Festival, finishing 32nd. She finished third for Baylor at the Big 12 Championship, finishing 19th overall. Ortega's greatest finish came at the NCAA South Central Regional when she led the Bears to a second place finish, finishing 10th. She was also named to the All-Region team.
Renae VanWhye
Freshman - Collierville, Tenn.
Competed in four of the events for the Bears with her best finish at the Bear Relays, finishing first teamed with Nichole Jones. She raced to a 17th-place finish at the North Texas Invitational and finished 82nd at the Chile Pepper Festival and 36th at the Big 12 Championship.
Ruth Waller
Senior - Manchester, England
Competed in five races claiming two top 10 finishes. At the Bear Relays she raced to a fourth place finish and finished seventh at the North Texas Invitational. She finished 62nd at the Chile Pepper Festival and 53rd at the Big 12 Championship. At the NCAA South Central Regional, Waller raced to a 30th-place finish.
