The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Women's Cross Country preview: NCAA Cross Country Championships
11.21.2009 | XC: Women_Old, Track & Field / Cross Country
Nov. 21, 2009
Location: Terre Haute, Ind.
When: 11:58 a.m. CT, Monday, Nov. 23, 2009
Course: LaVern Gibson Championship Course
Distance: 6K
Live Video: Versus Network
Live Web Stream: NCAA.com
-Senior Betzy Jimenez and sophomore Mia Behm will represent the Longhorns at Monday's 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championship.
- Indiana State University will host the NCAA Championships, on Nov. 23 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course located at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center in Terre Haute, Ind. The women's race will start at approximately 11:58 a.m. Central.
-Fans can watch the 2009 NCAA Cross Country meet live on Versus Network. The NCAA will also be providing a free web stream of the event on NCAA.com.
-Behm and Jimenez are the Longhorns' first two qualifiers for the national meet since 2003 when Texas won the regional championship.
Jimenez's Course to the Championship
-At the 2009 NCAA South Central Regional, Jimenez finished second overall with a personal-best time of 20:54.5. Since the senior was one of the top four finishers not on one of the two qualifying teams, Jimenez earned an automatic spot in the national cross country championship. Jimenez became the Longhorns' first automatic qualifier for the national meet since 2003 and earned her highest finish of the season.
Jimenez finished in the top 20 in every race she competed in over the 2009 season and finished 19th at the ISU Pre-Nationals Invite, held on the same course she'll be running on Monday at the national meet.
Behm's Course to the Championship
-The sophomore finished 11th overall at the South Central Regional Championship in a personal-best time of 21:23.4. Behm was the No. 5 finisher who wasn't one on of the top two teams but earned an at-large bid when the selections were announced on Sunday following the regional championship.
Behm posted four top 25 finishes throughout the 2009 season en route to earning a spot in the national meet. She finished 37th at the ISU Pre-Nationals Invite in a time of 21:27.7.
-The University of Texas cross country squad had a great start this year by opening the season with two straight team titles. It's the first time the Longhorns have done so since 2002 and the two victories also mark the third year in a row that the team has won at least two meets.
-UT is coming off a very strong 2008 season that saw the Horns place fourth at the Big 12 Championships, their highest finish since 2003, en route to a fifth-place showing at the NCAA Regional Championship. Top returning harriers for the 2009 season are seniors Betzy Jimenez, Asia Myrland, Lauren Salisbury, and sophomore Mia Behm.