PROVO -- After finishing in second place at last week's Bill Dellinger Invitational, the women's cross country team will head to Florida for the Annual Walt Disney World Cross Country Classic.
"We'd like to win one," said head coach Patrick Shane. "We've finished second in all the races so far this year, but that is not where we want to be."
This will be Shane's last attempt to establish the final 12 girls who will participate in Pre-Nationals and the MWC Championships. With the depth of the team, he can afford to keep some of his top runners out of this week's race.
"I'd like to see some people step up and have good races and improve, " said Shane. "There are a number of young women who are on the bubble of breaking through and really helping us."
Making the trip to Orlando will be true-freshman Wendy Harris, who finished third in the BYU Autumn Classic. Anne Heiner, who participated in her first race of the season last week, will also travel. Ten other girls will accompany them, including Southern Utah transfer Tawny Bybee, Sarah Ingebretson and Jenna Taylor Jensen.
There will be 40 teams competing against the Cougars, many located in southern regions of the U.S. Coach Shane anticipates strong competition against teams BYU has not yet faced this season.
"There will be some good individual competition," he said. "It should be similar to the teams we competed against at the Great American Invitational."
This week the No. 9 ranked men's team will be preparing for the Pre-National meet coming up on Oct. 14 in Terre Haute, Ind.