NEW ORLEANS - The Baylor women's cross country program had three members named to the USTFCCCA all-academic award list for their efforts on the course and in the classroom as announced on Tuesday by association officials.
Seniors Erin Bedell and Danielle Bradley, along with sophomore Cate Westenhover each met the standard criteria for inclusion for the award. The award honors those student-athletes who have succeeded both academically and athletically. To be eligible for the award a student-athlete must carry a minimum 3.25 cumulative grade point average and must finish among the top 15 finishers (or top 10 percent) of the field at their respective NCAA regional meet.
Bedell, a Plano, Texas, native majoring in health science/pre-physical therapy, was the top finisher for the second-place Bears at the NCAA South Central Regional meet with a third-place finish. Westenhover, a journalism major from Austin, Texas, was next in line for BU with a 10th-place finish. Bradley, from West Palm Beach, Fla., and majoring in health-science/pre-med, came in next in 12th place.
The 104 USTFCCCA All-Academic honorees represent 57 schools around the country. The Big Ten, Big 12, and BIG EAST Conferences each had 15 representatives claim the honor.
The award honors those student-athletes who have succeeded both academically and athletically. To be eligible for the award a student-athlete must carry a minimum 3.25 cumulative grade point average and must finish among the top 15 finishers (or top 10 percent) of the field at their respective NCAA regional meet.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Baylor's women's cross country team finished in 28th place at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Monday morning in Terre Haute, Ind.
Baylor finished the team race with 666 points, while Villanova took the team title with 86 total points. The team from the Big 12 was Texas Tech, which finished fourth with 191 points. Iowa State placed 17th at 446 and Colorado was 20th at 458. Individually, Illinois' Angela Bizzari placed first overall, covering the 6,000-meter course in 19 minutes, 46.8 seconds.
For Baylor, senior Erin Bedell was the top finisher, placing 57th with a time of 21:00.4. Senior Nichole Jones was the next to cross the line for the Bears in 145th with a time of 21:37.
Sophomore Cate Westenhover placed 196th at 22:03 and senior Danielle Bradley placed 198th at 22:05. Rounding out the top five was freshman Stephanie Morgan in 219th with a time of 22:25.
Freshman Katie Barry placed 236th (22:52) and junior Katie Shaw was 247th (23:18).
WACO, Texas - Making their seventh consecutive trip to the NCAA Cross Country Championships, Baylor's women's cross country team will compete in Terre Haute, Ind., on Monday, Nov. 23, with the women's race set for 11:58 a.m. CT. Each race will be nationally televised on the Versus Network beginning with the men's race at 11:08 a.m. CT. The NCAA will also be streaming the event live on the web at NCAA.com.
Led by the senior trio of All-American Erin Bedell, Nichole Jones, and Danielle Bradley, the Bears will look to improve on last year's 19th-place team finish. Baylor is fresh off of a second-place showing at the NCAA South Central Regional in which all five top finishers earned all-region honors. Along with Bedell, Jones, and Bradley, sophomore Cate Westenhover and freshman Stephanie Morgan stepped up to earn the honor as well.
Entering the regional meet, Baylor's only hope to keep the string of six consecutive NCAA Championships appearances alive was to finish in the top two in the team standings. With SMU and Arkansas each feeling the same pressure, the Bears responded with five runners placing in the top 15. Led by Bedell's third-place finish, the Bears scored 54 points, 11 behind SMU, but 12 ahead of Arkansas.
"To me that's a pretty big deal (to make seven in a row)," head coach Todd Harbour said. "This isn't an easy championship to make, and it looked like there for awhile that we weren't going to be able to pull it off. They knew what they had to do. It was an amazing regional meet with three teams going for it. Arkansas and us had to just get it done. They ran well and we were just a little bit better."
Bedell, who earned All-America honors at last year's NCAA Championship, has found her stride in 2009. She has led the Bears in each of the last three races, including an all-conference performance at the Big 12 Championships. Former track All-Americans Bradley and Jones have each been in the Bears' top five in every race this season, along with Morgan. Westenhover, on the other hand, has progressed with each meet this season, culminating in a 10th-place finish at the regional meet.
"We ran very well at the regional race, and it still wasn't our best," Harbour said. "We feel like we can run a little better than that, hopefully we put it together at nationals. Right now, we are pretty much as healthy as we can be, and I think we are ready to go. We are excited and we don't every take this opportunity for granted. We want to get up there and end this season on a good note."
Four Big 12 women's cross country teams and five men's teams have qualified for the NCAA Championships. Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State and Texas Tech will compete in the women's race while Colorado, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas will run on the men's side. Eight individual student-athletes from non-qualifying teams were also selected to compete at the national level.
Saturday November 14, 2009 7:58 PM Posted by staff
WACO, Texas - Baylor's women's cross country had five earn all-region honors, combining for a second-place team finish at the NCAA South Central Regional on Saturday at the Cottonwood Creek Golf Course in Waco, Texas.
"We are just excited to be making the trip back to Terre Haute. Overall it was a really good day. The guys ended on a good note and the ladies will be ready to get back to work on Monday. But, we are going to enjoy this one this afternoon."
All five Baylor women finished in the top 15 places, led by a third-place finish from All-American Erin Bedell. The Bears finished the meet with 54 points, just 11 behind regional champion SMU, but 12 ahead of third-place Arkansas. With the second-place finish, Baylor earned one of two automatic bids available to the top two teams at each regional, securing their seventh straight trip to the NCAA Championships.
"The women are excited," head coach Todd Harbour said. "It was a great joy for the girls and how hard they worked and what they were able to overcome was great. It was a tight battle all the way and we were just able to get ahead of Arkansas."
Bedell covered the 6,000-meter course in 21 minutes, 1.9 seconds, 31 second off the pace of regional champion Silje Fjortoft of SMU. Bedell earned the third all-region honor of her career. Behind Bedell, sophomore Cate Westenhover had a breakout performance, finishing in 10th place with a time of 21:22.8 to earn the first all-region honor of her career. Senior Danielle Bradley was next for the Bears in 12th (21:26.5) earning her second all-region honors, while senior Nichole Jones earned her fourth all-region honor with a 14th-place finish at 21:32.6. Freshman Stephanie Morgan also earned all-region honors with a 15th-place finish in a time of 21:33.1.
We had some girls that stepped up big today," Harbour said. "Stephanie, a freshman, had a great race in only her second 6K. That was amazing. It was a big day for Cate Westenhover, and we were excited about that."
On the men's side, Baylor finished in seventh place as a team, with four top-50 finishes and a 29th-place finish by junior Robbie Knorr. Despite not earning a berth to the NCAAs, the Baylor men improved three places on last season's 10th-place regional finish.
"The guys had a good meet, very solid," Harbour said. "They ended the season on a good note finishing in seventh."
Knorr just missed all-region honors, which go to the top 25 finishers in each race, with his 29th-place finish. He covered the men's 10,000-meter course in 32:25.0, while senior Chris Gowell was seven spots back in 36th with a time of 32:43.4. Junior Jeff Sadler was 43rd with a time of 33:03.4, while sophomore Brandon Reed placed 49th in a time of 33:15.2. Sophomore Zac Flowers rounded out the top five for Baylor in 61st place with a time of 33:32.1
"Chris Gowell ended on a great note, and Robbie had a good race for the guys," Harbour said.
Baylor's women will continue their season at the NCAA Cross Country Championships hosted annually in Terre Haute, Ind. The meet is scheduled for Nov. 23, 2009.
WACO, Texas - Baylor's cross country will be back in familiar confines at the NCAA South Central Regional hosted at the Cottonwood Creek Golf Course on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 10 a.m. For the women, a seventh consecutive berth to the NCAA Championships is on the line.
"The course is in great shape," head coach Todd Harbour said. "Overall, its going to be an outstanding field. It's always nice to be home and we are looking forward to the opportunity on Saturday."
Baylor's women enter the weekend after battling injuries and illness all season, falling short of preseason expectations with a seventh-place finish at the Big 12 Championships two weeks ago. Senior Erin Bedell earned all-conference honors at the meet for the third time in her career. Bedell, a two-time all-region performer, is joined by fellow seniors Nichole Jones and Danielle Bradley. Jones has earned all-region honors three times, while Bradley has been all-region twice.
"The women are looking really good," Harbour said. "And I think we are ready. Our ladies have had a rough year, not finishing where they would have liked at the Big 12, but we have a chance to get a little redemption."
For the men, Baylor enters the meet after a 10th-place finish at the Big 12 meet. The Bears were led by juniors Robbie Knorr and Jeff Sadler, who have been the top two finishers for the Bears in each race this season. Knorr was 34th, while Sadler was 65th at the conference championships.
"The Big 12 meet left a bad taste," Harbour said. "So our men are ready to go for this one. We would like to run a really good race and end it on a good note."
The top two teams from each of the nine NCAA regionals, along with 13 at-large teams, earn bids to the NCAA Championships. Individually, the top four runners not on a qualifying team can earn a bid as well.
Baylor will play host to the regional meet for the second year in a row, and sixth time in the last seven years. Last season, the women placed second, earning an automatic berth to the NCAAs, while the men finished 10th.
