University Southern California Trojans
USC Hosts Pac-10 Cross Country Championships On Saturday
October 29, 1999 | Women's Cross Country
Oct. 29, 1999
Long Beach, Calif. - The 1999 Pac-10 Cross Country Championships (31st annual for men, 14th annual for women) will be held at El Dorado Regional Park in Long Beach, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 30. The men's race (eight teams) will begin at 11 a.m., while the women's event (nine teams) starts at noon. An awards ceremony will follow at approximately 12:45 p.m. near the finish area.
On the women's side, Stanford will look to win its fourth consecutive Pac-10 title but will face a stiff challenge from Arizona State and Washington. Six other teams will be in the mix as well: host USC, Arizona, UCLA, Oregon, Washington State and California. The Stanford men will also be going for their fourth consecutive Pac-10 title. Other participants on the men's side include Oregon, Arizona, Arizona State, Washington State, Washington, California and UCLA.
USC is led by Grazyna Penc and Anna Lopaciuch, who finished seventh and eighth at the Pac-10 Championships last year. Stanford's Julia Stamps and Sally Glynn, who finished second and third, respectively, at the 1998 Pac-10 meet, return to give the Cardinal a good shot at another Pac-10 women's title. Washington is led by Jennifer Smith (fourth place last year) and Kara Syrdal (10th place). On the men's side, Stanford All-American Jonathon Riley will challenge for the top spot as well as Oregon's Steve Fein, who comes off a seventh-place finish last year. Arizona's Micheil Jones is also in the mix after a 10th-place finish.
The course is predominantly flat and grassy with several road crossings, which will provide excellent viewing of the race. The men's course is 8,000 meters, while the women's course is 5,000 meters. El Dorado Regional Park will also be the site of the 1999 USATF Cross Country National Championships on Dec. 5.
Stanford won both the men's and women's titles in 1998. Washington was the women's runner-up, followed by Arizona, Arizona State and Oregon. On the men's side, Oregon came in second, followed by Arizona, Arizona State and Washington State. Individually, Arizona's Abdi Abdirahman held off Washington State's Bernard Lagat to take first place in the men's race while Arizona's Amy Skieresz beat out Julia Stamps, of Stanford, to win the women's race.
Final results will be made available at www.usctrojans.com. Just click on the "Pac-10 Cross Country" logo on the right margin of the front page.
From the 405 Freeway: Exit at Studebaker Road North...go 3 miles North to Spring Street...right on Spring to the El Dorado Park Entrance on your right...drive though Areas 1 and 2 of the park to Golden Grove in Area 3. From the 605 Freeway: Exit at Spring Street West...go .25 miles to the El Dorado Park entrance on your right...drive though Area 2 of the park to Golden Grove in Area 3.
