Oct. 17, 2003

Kentucky’s cross country teams head to Waterloo, Iowa, to compete in the NCAA-Pre Nationals Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Irv Warren Golf Course. The meet will be the last for both the men’s and women’s teams before the Southeastern Conference Championships on Nov. 3.

The women’s cross country team heads to Iowa with a newly minted No. 32 ranking, moving up two spots from last week in the FinishLynx NCAA Division I women’s cross country national poll. The Cats are led by senior Caitlin Phillips, who earned SEC Female Athlete of the Week after capturing first place honors at the Cardinal Cross Country Classic in Louisville on Oct. 4. The Cats took home their first team title of the year after three runners finished in the top-five of the 5k race.

The men were led in Louisville by freshman John Richardson, who continued to be impressive with his 17th place finish in the 8,000-meter run. The Cats competed in their last meet with two squads, a B team and a freshman squad that came in eighth and 10th places, respectively.

Almost 150 of the top teams in the country will be on hand to compete this weekend in Waterloo, which will also be playing host in November as the site of the 2003 NCAA Cross Country Championships. The Pre-Nationals is the largest annual Division I meet, showcasing 21 of the top 30 women’s teams and 22 of the top 30 men’s squads this year.