 |
 |
By Joel Flom
Arizona Daily Wildcat
November 15, 1996
UA sophomore Amy Skieresz will look to keep her perfect season intact and repeat as the District VIII champion when the UA women's and men's cross country teams compete tomorrow at Woodland Park in Fresno, Calif.Skieresz, who repeated as the Pacific 10 Conference champion two weeks ago and has not lost a meet this year, is again the heavy favorite. She will also look to lead the 11th-ranked Wildcats past No. 3 Stanford and No. 16 Washington for the team title. The Wildcats finished third last year, placing three runners in the top 20.
Along with Skieresz will be sophomore Emily Nay, freshman Kristen Parrish, juniors Virginia Camacho, Tone Bratteng and Kelly Chavez, and senior Susan Scott.
Senior Viola Schaffer, who has been a key part of the team this season, will not run this weekend. She is nursing an injured ankle. UA head coach Dave Murray said the depth of the women's squad will aid in overcoming this obstacle.
As for the men, they will again go into this meet with a fair share of injuries. Sophomore Jeff McLarty, who has been bothered with a left hip strain for most of the season, will not make the trip to Fresno. Junior Jon Lansa, who has been hampered with a sore quadricep muscle, has seen some improvement in his condition. After two good weeks of practice, Murray expects to see a strong outing for him.
The brightest spot for men's squad will be junior Bob Keino. He is coming off a sixth-place finish at the Pac-10 championships and is hoping the team finishes higher than its fifth-place showing at the Pac-10 Championships. Keino was sixth at the District VIII Championships last year.
"In the men's event, Bob Keino has the capability to challenge for the title," Murray said.
Also running for Arizona will be senior Jon Pillow, freshmen Micheil Jones and Jeremy Lyon, and junior Chad Wenger.
The top two men's and women's teams will go on to the NCAA Championships, which will be held in Tucson on Nov. 25.
|
|
|