Sept. 11, 2006
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Cross Country Weekly Release in PDF Format
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SDSU to Play Host to 62nd Annual Aztec Invitational
San Diego State looks to build off its fourth-place effort at the Fullerton Season Opener this Saturday, Sept. 16, as it plays host to the 62nd Annual Aztec Invitational at Balboa Park. The meet will begin at 7:30 a.m. with the 5K People's Race and will be followed by the 5K women's open (8:15 a.m.) and women's invitational (9 a.m.). The morning will conclude with the men competing in the 8K open (9:30 a.m.) followed by the invitational at 10:15 a.m.
General race information can be found on the sidebar of the San Diego State cross country page of goaztecs.com (http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/w-xc/sdsu-w-xc-body.html). Complete results will also be posted on Aztec cross country page at the conclusion of the race.
Aztec Invitational History
* Invite Tidbits: The meet first began with a men's race on December 18, 1943 ... A women's division was introduced 34 years later in 1977 ... For the first time in its history, the Aztec Invitational was cancelled in 2001 due to the events of September 11, and was not rescheduled ... Former San Diego prep and UCLA standout Mebrahtom Keflezighi owns the men's meet record with an 8K time of 24:37 (1995), while Arizona's Joan Hansen ran the fastest women's 5K race in 16:47 (1981).
* A year ago, the SDSU finished third out of 11 teams with 98 points ... Then-sophomore Lital Azulay led the squad with a time of 18:12, finishing eighth out of 100 runners ... Following Azulay was senior Christal Cuadra (18:42), who finished in 20th place.
* Arkansas, ranked No. 17 at the time, won the 2005 invitational division with 31 points, followed by Northern Arizona (83 pts.). NAU's Johanna Nilsson won the individual title with a time of 17:29.
2005 Aztec Invitational Results (Invitational Division)
FINAL TEAM RESULTS (Top 5): 1. Arkansas, 31; 2. NAU, 83; 3. SDSU, 98; 4. LMU, 116; 5. Cal Coast, 124.
AZTEC INDIVIDUAL RESULTS (2006 Returnees Only): 8. Lital Azulay, 18:12; 26. Lisa Naucler, 19:02; 33. Celeste Tyson, 19:18; 39. Sarah Belger, 19:46; 40. Sara Cates, 19:46; 71. Amanda Maydeck, 21:22; 74. Anne Vieira, 21:35.
Meryl Follosco Named MWC Athlete of the Week
Junior Meryl Follosco was selected as the Mountain West Conference women's cross country athlete of the week, the league announced Sept. 7.
Follosco, in her first race as an Aztec, finished 16th of 225 competitors and 11th among collegiate runners at the Fullerton Season Opener (Sept. 2) held at Carbon Canyon Regional Park in Brea, Calif. She posted a time of 19:03.00 in the 5K race, helping SDSU finish fourth in the 19-team field.
The award is Follosco's first and marks the ninth weekly award for the Aztec cross country program since the league's inception in 1999.
A Look Back at Meet No. 1: Fullerton Season Opener
The San Diego State cross country team kicked off its season with a fourth-place showing at the 19-team, 5K Fullerton Season Opener at Carbon Canyon Regional Park. The Aztecs recorded 169 points and finished behind Concordia (74 points), LMU (97) and CS Fullerton (128).
Individually, Meryl Follosco led the way for the Aztecs as she finished the race in 19:03.00, good for 16th place.
Senior Celeste Tyson was San Diego State's next fastest runner as she clocked in with 24th-place effort of 19:18.40.
A total of seven Aztecs finished within the top 100, including junior Lisa Naucler (58th, 20:02.50) and seniors Jackie Duncan (67th, 20:12.90) and Sara Cates (69th, 20:16.70). True freshmen Stephanie Armstrong (20:38.50), Makenzie Mabry (90th, 20:45.60), Jessica Walker (92nd, 20:47.20) and Jessica Mason (94th, 20:50.00) also finished among the top 100.
Other SDSU runners who crossed the finish line were freshman Lindsay Barajas (111th, 21:02.60), juniors Lital Azulay (153rd, 21:45.50) and Anne Vieira (171st, 22:11.50), freshman Darien Buc (173rd, 22:17.90), sophomore Amanda Maydeck (174th, 22:18.70), and freshmen Michelle Warburton (210th, 25:23.80) and Priscilla Arco (220th, 27:38.00).
SDSU Runners Picked to Finish in Tie for Fifth in MWC
In a poll released by the Mountain West Conference and voted on by the league's coaches, SDSU was predicted to finish in a fifth-place tie with Air Force. BYU (64 points), Colorado State (56), New Mexico (49) and Wyoming (41) were all picked ahead of the Aztecs and Falcons, who garnered 28 points apiece. Utah (26), TCU (22) and UNLV (10) rounded out the poll. SDSU's fifth-place selection is its highest since 2000 where it was picked fourth and comes a year after being picked eighth in the 2005 preseason poll.