The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- November 9, 1998

Division I Women's Cross Country

Field: The field is increasing for the first time since 1989. A total of 255 individual competitors, up from 184, will be selected. Thirty-one teams of seven individuals -- with at least two teams from each of nine regions -- plus 38 individuals (at least four from each region) will make up the field.

Dates and sites: Regional qualifying at nine sites will be November 14. The championships will be November 23 at Kansas.

Information/results: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/563-1133 (pin code 1915); request numbers are 1279 for dates/sites, 5075 for qualifiers and 5076 for championships results. Regional results will appear in the November 23 issue of The NCAA News and championships results will be published December 7.

Championships notes: Brigham Young became the ninth team champion in the 17-year history of the championships in 1997 .... The Cougars won by two points over defending champion Stanford, tying the mark for the closest finish .... Also last year, Carrie Tollefson of Villanova became the third individual winner whose team did not qualify for the championships .... Tollefson's victory was the seventh for a Villanova student-athlete in the last nine years .... The Wildcats are the division leader in both team (six) and individual (seven) champions .... Oregon has the most top-five finishes with 10.