November 14, 2008 ~ Arizona Athletics Media Relations prestigious Contact: Jeremy Hawkes ~ Office: (520) 621-4163 ~ Cell Phone: (520) 403-0121 ~ Fax: (520) 621-2681 Email: [email protected] ~ www.arizonaathletics.com

The Week in Arizona Cross Country 2008 Cross Country Schedule

NCAA West Regional Championships Date Event Location

Eugene, Ore. 9-06 George Kyte Invitational Flagstaff, Ariz.

9-19 Dave Murray Invitational Tucson, Ariz.

Facility: Stanford Golf Course 10-03 Notre Dame Invitational South Bend, Ind.

Date: Saturday, October 14, 2008 10-10 ASU Invitational Tempe, Ariz.

Time: Women’s 6k– 11 a.m. 10-18 NCAA Pre-Nationals Terre Haut, Ind.

10-31 Pac-10 Championships Eugene, Ore. Men’s 10k– 12 p.m. 11-15 NCAA West Regionals Palo Alto, Calif.

11-24 NCAA Championships Terre Haute, Ind. Last Chance For National Championships Awaits Wildcat Cross Country

The UA men’s and women’s cross country teams continue the championship University of Arizona Quick Facts season Saturday as they compete at the NCAA West Regional Champion- Location...... Tucson, Ariz. ships hosted by Stanford University at the Stanford Golf Course in Palo Founded...... 1885 Alto, Calif. Enrollment...... 37,000 Nickname...... Wildcats Conference...... Pacific-10 With the NCAA National Championships just over a week away, the Wild- School Colors...... Cardinal and Navy cats are hoping for a strong showing at the regional meet in order to earn a President...... Dr. Robert Shelton spot in the big meet. The top two teams at the meet will earn an automatic Athletic Director...... Jim Livengood qualification for the national meet. The top 20 individual runners will also Director of Track & Field/Cross Country earn a spot in Terre Haute, Ind. Fred Harvey

Even if the teams don’t earn an automatic bid to the NCAA finals, a strong Primary Cross Country Coach performance against what is arguably the toughest region in the country James Li (Distance) could still earn them enough attention to be selected as one of the top teams UA Assistant Coaches not getting an automatic qualification that still get an opportunity to compete Dawn Boxley (Sprints/Hurdles) at nationals, a second chance if you will. Sheldon Blockburger (Jumps) Craig Carter (Throws) Erin Rodrigs (Distance) The women’s team is coming off a respectable finish at the Pac-10 Champi- onships, finishing seventh in a meet where five of the teams competing were Director of Operations in the latest USTFCCCA top-25, including No.1 Washington and No. 2 Ore- Francesca Green gon. Coupled with their impressive performance at the NCAA Pre-Nationals Track and Field/Cross Country Office Phone before that, the women have a decent shot at earning one of the “second- 520-621-6719 chance” bids if they garner a strong finish Saturday. Track & Field Media Relations Contact “We would like to be fifth but to accomplish that we will have to have six Jeremy Hawkes Email...... [email protected] people run their best race of the season,” said sophomore Maggie Callahan. Office Phone...... 520-621-4163 “Our chance is small but we’re capable getting there.” Cell Phone...... 520-403-0121 Fax...... 520-621-2681 The men will have their work cut out for them as they enter the 10,000-meter Website race. The team did not perform as well as expected at the Pre-National meet www.arizonaathletics.com though they were able to rebound with a decent finish at the Pac-10 Champi- onships, another race also stacked with the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the country in Oregon and Stanford, respectively.

The women’s race will begin at 11 a.m. while the men will follow an hour later at noon. 2008 Arizona Cross Country University of Arizona Cross Country Release

Last Time Out

EUGENE, Ore - The UA men and women’s cross country UA Cross Country Rosters teams kicked off the championship season today at the Pacific- 10 Conference Championships at the Springfield Country Club Men’s in Eugene, Ore. Both teams finished in seventh place. Michael Armon So. Coeur d’Alene Idaho Reed Blochberger So. Phoenix, Ariz. The women were paced, as they have been throughout the Tanner Carothers So. Flagstaff, Ariz. th season, by senior Irine Lagat who finished 20 overall in Dylan Fitzpatrick Sr. Carmel Valley, Calif. 20:45.76. Lagat has led the women’s team in each race she has Abdi Hassan Fr. Mogadishu, Somalia competed in for the past two seasons. Zack Hauer So. Parker, Colo. Mohamed Ige So. Mogadishu, Somalia She was followed by sophomore Maggie Callahan who was the th Brian MacArthur Jr. Great Neck, N.Y. next Wildcat to cross the line, doing so with a 37 place finish Jordan Mara So. South Surrey, B.C. in 21:20.13. Callahan’s mark was a personal record and about Carlos Rybeck Jr. Minneapolis, Minn. two seconds better than her previous best mark. Greg York Fr. Houston, Texas Victor Zazueta So. Tucson, Ariz. Freshman Hanna Henson had one of the more notable perform- ances of the day , smashing her previous personal record by 42 ____ seconds on her way to a 46th place finish in 21:30.73. Moen followed Henson for Arizona, finishing 55th in 21:45.42. Women’s Amanda Beckham Fr. Tucson, Ariz. Senior Shelly Splittberger rounded out the scoring five for the Maggie Callahan So. Fairbanks, Ala. Wildcats as she finished in 21:57.72 and in 64th place. Jasmin Day Jr, Los Angeles, Calif. Hanna Henson Fr. Rio Rico, Ariz. The men were led by sophomore Mohamud Ige for the second Irine Lagat Sr. Kapsabet, time in three races, finishing 26th overall in 24:30.75. Hannah Moen Fr. Flagstaff, Ariz. Kassidy Rede So. Tucson, Ariz. Redshirt freshman Abdi Hassan had the standout performance Christina Rodgers Jr. Phoenix, Ariz. of the day for the men as he also set a new personal record, Sara Sanchez Fr. Roselle, Ill. finishing the 8,000-meter race in 24:38.48 and finishing 30th Tiffany Sorrell Jr. Window Rock, Ariz. overall. Sophomore Victor Zazueta finished 35th overall to Shelly Splittberger Sr. Glendale, Ariz. give the team a solid showing from their top three men. Marissa Urban Sr. Woodland Park, Colo.

Senior Dylan Fitzpatrick was the next UA athlete across the line in 49th place in 25:10.26 while Brian MacArthur rounded out the scoring five in 25:28.12 in 58th place. USTFCCCA NCAA WEST REGION RANKINGS

The Road to Nationals Women Men

The UA men’s team is looking to regain its glory days while 1. Washington 1. Oregon

the women are out to show they are just as much a part of the 2. Oregon 2. Stanford

UA’s storied cross country legacy. 3. Stanford 3. Portland

4. Arizona State 4. UCLA Both will look to qualify for this year’s NCAA National 5. Washington State 5. California Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. On Nov. 24. 6. UC-Riverside 6. Cal-Poly

As the meets get tougher towards the end of the season, the 7. Oregon State 7. Washington pressure will be on the Wildcats to perform as well as possi- 8. Portland 8. Washington State ble before heading to the NCAA West Regional Champion- 9. Arizona 9. Arizona ships in Palo Alto, Calif. Nov. 8. If the Wildcats don’t earn 10. UC-Irvine 10. UC-Davis an automatic qualification at the regional, their performances 11. Loyola Mary. 11. UC-Riverside throughout the rest of season will help determine whether the 12. California 12. UC-Santa Barbara team makes nationals or not. 13. UC-Davis 13. Arizona State

14. USC 14. Eastern Washington The road will not be easy for either team, but the coaches and 15. Sacramento State 15. Long Beach State staff are confident that this team has plenty of talent and it will come down to how well they utilize it as the season pro-

gress 2008 Arizona Cross Country University of Arizona Cross Country Release

Ha-Ha’ing It Up Men’s West Regional Winners Women’s West Regional Winners 2007: Oregon 47 2007: Stanford 33 Freshman Hanna Henson, or “Ha-Ha” as she is 2006: Oregon 69 2006: Stanford 42 know by her teammates, had arguably the most 2005: Arizona 33 2005: Stanford 24 impressive performance of the Pac-10 Champion- 2004: Stanford 49 2004: Stanford 29 ship weekend in the 6,000-meters as she ran her 2003: Stanford 18 2003: Stanford 45 way to a 40-second second personal record in the 2002: Stanford 21 2002: Stanford 24 race. 2001: Stanford 37 2001: Stanford 39 Henson was the number three Wildcat on the 2000: Stanford 58 2000: Stanford 58 weekend finishing in a time of 21:30.73 and fin- 1999: Stanford 40 1999: Stanford 29 ished 46th overall. 1998: Stanford 37 1998: Arizona 78 Assistant Coach Erin Rodrigs credited Henson 1997: Stanford 50 1997: Stanford 37 with much of the team’s success at the Pac-10 1996: Stanford 31 1996: Stanford 51 meet and said that she another similar perform- 1995: Stanford 53 1995: Oregon 37 ance at the regional meet would be huge for the 1994: Arizona 46 1994: Stanford 55 team. 1993: Portland 56 1993: Arizona 59

1992: Arizona 27 1992: Washington 90 Abdi-lutely Awesome 1991: Arizona 58 1991: Oregon 56

Another freshman making his mark at the Pac-10 1990: Arizona 50 1990: Oregon 49 Championships was Abdi Hassan. Hassan came 1989: Oregon 15 1989: Washington 75 in 30th in a time of 24:38.48, a new personal re- 1988: Oregon 38 1988: Oregon 36 cord. It was the best race of the redshirt fresh- 1987: Arizona 72 1987: Oregon 29 man’s career and could be a sign of things to 1986: Arizona 58 1986: UCLA 69 come from the former high school All-American. 1985: Arizona 58 1985: Oregon 63 The men’s team will certainly need another stand- 1984: Arizona 40 1984: Stanford 26 out performance from Hassan this weekend if 1983: Oregon 42 1983: Oregon 33 they are to have a chance to qualify for the 1982: Oregon 53 1982: Stanford 33 NCAA Championships. Men’s Regional Individual Champions Women’s Regional Individual Cham- 2007: , Oregon, 29:45 pions Magnificent Maggie 2006: Nef Araia, Stanford, 30:06 2007: Teresa McWalters, Stanford, 19:57 2005: , Arizona, 30:04 2006: Arianna Lambie, Stanford, 20:59 Continuing the trend personal records at the Pac- 2004: Ryan Hall, Stanford, 30:07 2005: Arianna Lambie, Stanford, 19:30 10 Championships was sophomore Maggie Calla- 2003: Ryan Hall, Stanford, 29:33 2004: Alicia Craig, Stanford, 20:03 han. Callahan shaved about two seconds off her 2002: Donald Sage, Stanford, 30:13 2003: Alicia Craig, Stanford, 20:06 previous personal best on her way to the 2001: Donald Sage, Stanford, 30:43.4 2002: Alicia Craig, Stanford, 20:39 number two spot for Arizona and finishing 37th 2000: , Stanford, 30:40 2001: Tara Chaplin, Arizona, 20:41.1 overall in 21:20.13. 1999: Steve Fein, Oregon, 30:30 2000: Lisa Aguilera, ASU, 20:25 The performance of the young runners are Ari- 1998: Abdi Abdirahman, Arizona, 30:06 1999: Julia Stamps, Stanford, 16:50 zona’s distance squads can only be a sign of 1997: , UCLA, 30:15.9 things to come for the team. With so many ath- 1998: Amy Skieresz, Arizona, 16:26 letes returning next year with another year of ex- 1996: Karl Keska, Oregon, 30:16 1997: Amy Skieresz, Arizona, 16:59 perience under their belts, both the men’s and 1995: Karl Keska, Oregon, 30:11.9 1996: Amy Skieresz, Arizona, 16:13 women’s teams could turn quite a few heads in 1994: Martin Keino, Arizona, 30:50 1995: Amy Skieresz, Arizona, 16:42.3 the seasons to come. 1993: Joe Kapkory, Wash. State, 29:20.5 1994: Milena Glusac, Oregon, 17:26.1 1992: Joe Kapkory, Wash. State, 30:41.7 1993: Karen Hecox, UCLA, 16:41.6 Regional Notes 1991: Joe Kapkory, Wash. State , 30:11 1992: Louise Watson, Stanford, 17:20.3 1990: , Arizona, 30:08.3 1991: Lucy Nusrala, Oregon, 16:48 Arizona has won the West Regional Champion- 1989: Brad Hudson, Oregon, 30:06.5 1990: Buffy Rabbitt, UC Irvine, 16:44.6 ship on the men’s side nine times in the 25-year 1988: Marc Davis, Arizona, 30:08.1 1989: Buffy Rabbitt, UC Irvine, 16:53.7 history of the event with their last victory coming 1987: , Arizona, 29:42.7 1988: Penny Graves, Oregon, 16:36.2 in 2005, when Robert Cheseret also claimed the 1986: Aaron Ramirez, Arizona, 30:21.6 1987: Annette Hand, Oregon, 16:19.0 individual title. Eight men have won the compe- 1985: Marc Olesen, Stanford, 29:51 1986: Penny Graves, Oregon, 16:41.9 tition since 1982. 1984: Tom Ansberry, Arizona, 31:10.2 1985: , Stanford, 16:41 The women have won twice in the event, the last 1983: Jim Hill, Oregon, 30:08.4 1984: Regina Jacobs, Stanford, 17:05.3 being in 1998 as they were led by the phenomenal 1982: Jim Hill, Oregon, 28:50 1983: Kathy Hayes, Oregon, 16:55.3 Amy Skieresz who led the way with her fourth 1982: Ceci Hopp, Stanford, 16:03 individual title in as many years.

2008 Arizona Cross Country University of Arizona Cross Country Release

Moen Down the Competition

In a season where the Arizona youth has been a story, no athlete exemplifies the importance of freshman better than Hannah Moen. The frosh from Flagstaff, Ariz. Has imme- diately made her presence known since her very first meet, having been the Wildcats’ second best runner throughout the season to date.

After pacing the women’s squad in her first meet at the George Kyte Classic, Moen has finished second behind senior star Irine Lagat in each of the three races since then. She finished 68th out of over 200 athletes at the NCAA Pre-Nationals and is making a name for herself as one of the future stars to keep an eye on for the Wildcats. Course in Eugene this weekend. A Fast Splitt Dylan Fitzpatrick seemed to be the only athlete to run within Before the season started, coaches were raving about how his abilities at the Pre-NCAA meet while others such as Vic- much Shelly Splittberger had improved over the offseason. tor Zazueta, Mohamud Ige and Abdi Hassan all seemed to In the first couple meets of the season, this observation did have off races. Coach Li attributed this to the youth of the not make itself too well know, but the Phoenix-area senior later athletes while Fitzpatrick, a senior, has seen just about certainly lived up the hype with arguably her better per- everything. formances ever as a Wildcat cross country runner as she came home fourth among UA athletes and 121st overall. The Regional Championships will hopefully see one UA ath- lete break free and take control, a fact that will be necessary Her finishing time of 22:06.40 was 18 seconds faster than for the team’s success her performance at the Pre-NCAAs last season and she finished 33 spots ahead of her placing at last year’s race. Still Getting It Done In The Classroom

Come On Irine Three members of this years UA women’s squad were earned Pac-10 All-Academic honors at the conclusion of last season. Senior runner Irine Lagat comes from a pretty renowned Senior Marissa Urban was named to the second team while family as far as the long distance circuit is concerned. Her Shelly Splittberger and junior Tiffany Sorrell both took honor- brother, Bernard, is a U.S. Champion and Olympian while able mentions. another brother, Robert Cheseret, was one of the UA’s most successful distance runners in history. Another member of the this years team that excelled in the classroom as well last year is junior Christina Rodgers as she Despite the pressure of coming from such a high perform- took home USTFCCCA All-Academic team honors to con- ing family, Irine has consistently been one of the UA’s clude the 2008 track and field season. most reliable distance runners. While not having posted the NCAA Championships or Olympic caliber times of her The performance of the individuals off the track shows the brothers, Lagat has paced the UA cross country team over dedication UA athletes have towards not just their athletic the past two seasons and her performance at the NCAA performances, but their academic ones as well. Pre-Nationals shows just how far she has come. A Change of Scenery Finishing 38th overall, Lagat continued her streak of being the Wildcat’s top finisher and if the squad is able to make All-American junior high jumper Jasmin Day is no stranger to it the NCAA National Championships it will likely be in being a multi-sport athlete after competing for the Arizona part to her consistently strong performances across the women’s soccer team last season. length of the season. The indoor and outdoor All-American will try her hat in a Who Will Lead the Way? different sport this semester however, as she competes for the cross country team for the first time. The UA men’s team has seen three separate athletes pace the way over the past three meets and no athlete has truly Day’s first performance was impressive considering her lack stood out as the team’s top runner in this up and down of experience as a collegiate runner, usually get the jump done season. by clearing the bar. She finished a respectable 39th at the Dave Murray meet. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see whether youth or experience prevails when the team takes the 2008 Arizona Cross Country University of Arizona Cross Country Release

New Season, New Faces, New Beginnings

The UA men’s cross country team for the upcoming season is an incredibly young one. The team kicks of the season with 10 underclassmen on the 12-man roster and the only returning upperclassmen to the squad is junior Dylan Fitz- patrick.

Despite the youth of the team, coaches are ready for it to have a breakout year and perhaps even surprise a lot of peo- ple with the addition of some strong, new talent to back-up the returning members of a squad that finished eighth in the Pacific-10 Conference last season. Women’s Team Looking To The Top

One returning athlete who has already received the praises of The Arizona women’s cross country team placed sixth in the the UA Track and Field and Cross Country Director, Fred Pac-10 last season and 11th at the NCAA West Regionals. Harvey, is sophomore Victor Zazueta. Zazueta consistently These are respectable finishes in and of themselves, yet Harvey paced the team last season and was the Wildcats top finisher says that the strength of the women’s team this year is “1,000 in nearly every race he participated in. Harvey said that times higher.” Zazueta could be an underdog this season after a hard- working off-season and looks to return as a much improved Compared to the men’s team, the women are composed of sea- runner and valuable addition to the team, despite his young soned veterans as they return four seniors to this year’s team in age. addition to bringing in several promising recruits. Abdi Hassan and Mohammed Ige are two newcomers to the UA squad that will likely have an immediate impact on The squad will likely be led by senior Irine Lagat, the team’s team’s dynamic. consistent top-performer last season, as she looks to continue her trend of steadily improving her performances from year to Hassan, a redshirt freshman, and Ige, a junior college trans- year. fer, were two of the top runners in the country during their high school tenures. Hassan was a High School All- She is joined by fellow seniors Marissa Urban and Shelly American who won two Washington State Track and Field Splittberger, both of whom were consistently among the point- Championships and finished sixth at the state cross country scoring athletes for the UA team last season. meet as a senior. After sitting out last year, Hassan is ready to get back into the action and provide the team with a con- Joining them are sophomore Maggie Callahan and junior Chris- sistent front runner. tina Rodgers, both of whom could be ready for breakout seasons for the Wildcats. Ige comes with similar accolades after being regarded as one of the most promising distant runners in the country coming “Christina is running the fastest she ever has in her life and she out of high school. During his tenure at Denver South High still may only be the ninth (fastest) on the team. That’s how School, Ige won the 1,600-meter state championship in track strong I think we are.” and field and competed in the 2004 and 2005 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, finishing 13th and 10th. At Central Arizona Community College, Ige continued to be a The squad will certainly be helped along with the addition of force as a distance runner and was named to the National two freshmen who share more than just a knack for speed with Junior College Athletic Association’s Region 1 All-Region each other. team after a 14th place finish at the Junior College Cross Country Championships in 2007. Hanna Henson and Hannah Moen were both Arizona state champions at the 4A-II Division level with Henson taking the Ige joins Fitzpatrick as the only other upperclassmen on the 2007 cross country championship for Rio Rico High School UA squad this season. Despite this, the team does not strug- while Moen swept the 800-, 1600– and 3200-meter champion- gle from a lack of talent. ships for Coconino High School in 2007 and 2008.

Freshman Michael Armon was a former Idaho State Cham- All-American UA high jumper Jasmin Day will also be joining pion at the 1600- and 3200-meters and was a two-time state the cross country team this semester in an effort to do more dur- cross country champion. ing her off-season than just train.

The team also consists of Reed Blochberger, Tanner Caroth- With Mackenzie Edwards, Kassidy Rede, Sarah Sanchez and ers, Zack Hauer, Brian MacArthur, Jordan Mara, Carlos Tiffany Sorrell in the mix, the women’s team surely shows the Rybeck and Gregory York, all of whom look to make strong promise that Harvey expects and looks to have a successful sea- contributions throughout the year. son at the end to show for it.

2008 Arizona Cross Country University of Arizona Track and Field Release

Legendary Former UA Coach Named to Hall of Fame PAC-10 COACH OF THE YEAR 1983-2001

From the official USTFCCCA release- 1983 Dave Murray, ARIZ 1984 Dave Murray, ARIZ** One key to building a productive athletic team is to have 1985 Brooks Johnson, STAN continuity of coaching. The University of Arizona was 1986 Dave Murray, ARIZ fortunate to have such consistency in longtime coach Dave 1987 Dave Murray, ARIZ Murray. 1988 , ORE 1989 Bill Dellinger, ORE Murray coached at the Division I institution for 35 years 1990 Bill Dellinger, ORE beginning his career in 1967 as a graduate assistant for the 1991 Dave Murray, ARIZ Wildcats and earning the position of Director of Cross 1992 Bill Dellinger, ORE Country/Track & Field in 1990. His career and achieve- 1993 Mike Johnson, WASH ments will be recognized on December 17th, 2008 when 1994 Dave Murray, ARIZ he is inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross 1995 Bill Dellinger, ORE Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame. 1996 Vin Lananna, STAN 1997 Vin Lananna, STAN Murray, who retired following the 2001-2002 track and 1998 Bill Dellinger, ORE field season, was one of the longest tenured coaches in 1999 Dave Murray, ARIZ Arizona history. Only two other coaches in history at Ari- 2000 Vin Lananna, STAN zona held positions longer than Murray. During that time 2001 Vin Lananna, STAN Murray build Arizona into one of the top cross country and track and field programs in the nation coaching nu- **Also NCAA Coach of the Year merous All-Americans, NCAA and Pac-10 Conference champions, World Championship competitors, and Olym- pians. PAC-10 MALE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR UNDER MURRAY He was honored by the Pac-10 as the Men's Cross Country Coach of Year seven times throughout his career and was 1984 Tom Ansberry, ARIZ the 1984 NCAA Men's Cross Country National Coach of 1986 Aaron Ramirez, ARIZ the Year. Murray was also honored as the District VIII/ 1987 Matt Giusto, ARIZ West Region Coach of the Year six times. 1989 Marc Davis, ARIZ 1990 Marc Davis, ARIZ Recognized as one of the most distinguished coaches in 1991 Martin Keino, ARIZ any sport at The University of Arizona, Murray is a mem- 1994 Martin Keino, ARIZ ber of the Drake Relays Hall of Fame, the Mt. Sac Relays 1998 Abdi Abdirahman, ARIZ Hall of Fame, and also the University of Arizona Hall of ______Fame. He was also inducted into the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, and also the University of Arizona PAC-10 FEMALE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR Kappa Sigma Fraternity Hall of Fame in 1998. UNDER MURRAY

During his career, Murray was actively involved with the 1995 Amy Skieresz, ARIZ NCAA community serving as the President of the Division 1996 Amy Skieresz, ARIZ I Cross Country Coaches Association from 1988-1990, 1997 Amy Skieresz, ARIZ and as president of the women's cross country coaches 1998 Amy Skieresz, ARIZ association from 1981-1982. He also served as a member 2001 Tara Chaplin, ARIZ of the NCAA Executive Committee and as a District VIII ______representative. ARIZONA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS UNDER MURRAY

1986 Aaron Ramirez, ARIZ 1994 Martin Keino, ARIZ 1996 Amy Skieresz, ARIZ 2001 Tara Chaplin, ARIZ

2008 Arizona Cross Country