WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - With five returning starters from last year's Pac-10 Champion squad, the Stanford Cardinal has been tabbed as the team to beat in the 2003-04 Pacific 10 Conference race, according to a media poll.

Stanford, which finished 27-5 overall and 15-3 in Pac-10 play, won the 2003 Conference Championship, captured the Pac-10 Tournament trophy and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship.

The Cardinal garnered all 18 first-place votes and totaled 180 points as the media's undisputed pick to win it all. Arizona, which tied for second in the Pac-10 last season and was Pac-10 Tournament runner-up, was tabbed to finish second in the poll with 142 points.

Washington was picked to finish third in the league after tying for second place with the Wildcats last year. Both the Wildcats and Huskies participated in the 2003 NCAA Championship.

This is the fourth straight year Stanford has been picked by the media as the Conference preseason favorite. However, it marks the first time the Cardinal received every first-place vote since the 1997-98 season. The Pac-10 media poll has correctly predicted the Conference champion in five of the last six seasons.

Five returning All-Pac-10 players were named to the Preseason All-Conference Team: UCLA sophomore Nikki Blue, USC senior Ebony Hoffman, Washington senior Giuliana Mendiola (2003 Pac-10 Player of the Year), Arizona sophomore Shawntinice Polk (2003 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year) and Stanford senior All-American Nicole Powell.

UA cross country prepares for Pac-10 Championships

The UA men's and women's cross country teams will travel to Pullman, Wash. for the Pac-10 Championships on Saturday. Washington State will play host to this year's championships on the Washington State University Golf Course.

The men will run an 8,000-meter race, which is set to begin at 1 p.m.. The women's 6,000 meters will immediately follow at 2. Complete results will be available on the Washington State web site (www.wsucougars.com) and the Pac-10 web site (www.pac-10.org).

The Pac-10 Conference is home to several of the nation's top cross country teams. The men's championship race will feature five of the country's top 30 teams. Three ranked teams highlight the women's competition, while the rest of the competition will put up a strong fight.

Stanford comes in with the No. 1 ranking on both the men's and women's sides. The Cardinal will be the clear-cut favorites to claim the team titles.

The second-place team on the men's side is up for grabs. The Wildcats, along with Oregon and Arizona State, have a legitimate chance to claim that runner-up spot.

Arizona State could challenge for the women's title as the No. 4 team in the country. UCLA also fields a strong squad with the No. 15 ranking. Arizona's women, as well as Washington, Washington State, Oregon and California, will put up a strong fight to the finish.

UA swimming and diving open season tomorrow

The sixth-ranked Arizona women's swimming and diving team and the 16th-ranked Arizona men's team are set to open their 2003-04 season at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center tomorrow.

The Wildcats will face the No. 11 Wisconsin men's team and the No. 10 women's team at 2 p.m. Arizona will then participate in an exhibition swim meet against Wisconsin on Saturday at noon.

The 11th-ranked Wisconsin men's team finished the 2002-03 season with a 10-2 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the Big Ten Conference. The team placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships and 13th at the NCAA Championships.

On the women's side, the 10th-ranked Badgers finished with a 12-1 record and a 5-0 record in the Big Ten. They finished second in the Big Ten championships and 12th at the national championship meet.

Wisconsin made a big splash to start the 2003-04 season on Oct. 25 after posting a 172-116 victory over Iowa.

The Wisconsin men also started the season off on a good note, setting two pool records in the 400 medley and 200 freestyle relay.