Press Release
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HIGHLIGHTS:
* Recent Events: Bruin Men 7th, Women 13th in Sundodger Invitational
* Coming Up: Bruins' Wes Cook Bear Fete Invitational Returns
* Ware, Giffey-Brohaugh HM for NWC Runner of the Week Honors
* Bruin Women 6th, Men 8th in USTFCCCA Pre-Season Regional Rankings
* Results Finally Available for Sundodger Men's Open
RECENT EVENTS: Bruin Men 7th, Women 13th in Sundodger Invitational
* Sept. 15 - Sundodger Invitational at Lincoln Park, Seattle, Wash.
--- Men - 7th of 20 / Women - 13th of 15
Press Release / Results (M) / Results (W)
COMING UP:
Sat., Sept. 22 - Wes Cook Bear Fete Invitational, Willamette Mission State Park, Brooks, Ore.
--- 10:00 am - Men's 8K / 10:45 a.m. - Women's 6K
After a one-year absence, the Bear Fete Invitational hosted by George Fox University returns on Saturday, Sept. 22, with an updated name and a new site. Coaches John Smith and Mike Hickey have added the name of former Bruin coach Wes Cook to the title, honoring the 19-year coach of the GFU cross country and track and field programs who led the Bruins to national prominence before retiring at the end of the 2006 track and field season.
The event will consist of the men's 8K race at 10:00 a.m. and the women's 6K race at 10:45 a.m. The new venue is Willamette Mission State Park near Brooks, Ore., after many years at Champoeg State Heritage Area.
"Although it is a little further away, we think everyone will really enjoy this new place," says Coach Hickey. "It is very scenic, and the race course has been basically designed as a 2K loop that the women will cover three times and the men four times. It is a much more spectator-friendly circuit than we have had before."
Directions: Head south on I-5 from Portland or north from Salem and take exit 263 towards Brooks/Gervais. Turn right at Brooklake Rd NE, right at Wheatland Rd N, and left into Willamette Mission State Park.
The Wes Cook Bear Fete Invitational is one of two cross country events the Bruins will host this year at Willamette Mission. The other is the Northwest Conference Championships on Oct. 27.
Additional information is available on the George Fox cross country web site at http://www.georgefox.edu/athletics/cross_country/2007/bearfete.html.
THE COACHES:
Head coach John Smith (George Fox '96) is in his second year as the head coach of all George Fox track and field and cross country programs. After eight years as an assistant, he took over in the summer of 2006 upon the retirement of 19-year veteran coach Wes Cook. Smith was a two-time NAIA All-American in the decathlon for the Bruins and still holds the GFU decathlon record (7,138 points). Click here for the complete bio on Coach Smith.
One of John Smith's first acts as the new head coach of the George Fox cross country and track and field programs was to name Mike Hickey (Washington State '98) as associate head coach for cross country. Hickey, now in his second year at George Fox, was head cross country and assistant track coach at Clackmas Community College (1998-2001) and an assistant in both sports at Portland State University (2001-2005) prior to joining the Bruins. Click here for the complete bio on Coach Hickey.
BRUIN BITS:
* Ware, Giffey-Brohaugh HM for NWC Runner of the Week Honors
Jordan Ware for the men and Rachel Giffey-Brohaugh for the women received honorable mention for Northwest Conference Runners of the Week for Sept. 10-16 after good performances in the Sundodger Invitational on Sept. 15 at Lincoln Park in Seattle, Wash.
Ware posted the best time for the Bruins with a 26:04 in the 8K Open race, placing 31st overall and 26th for team scoring. His effort helped the Bruins to finish 7th out of 20 teams competing.
In the women's 6K Open race, Giffey-Brohaugh placed 21st overall and 18th for team scoring with a time of 23:02. The Bruin women came in 13th out of 15 teams in the event.
* 2007 Honors:
- Paul Rapet
Bruin Athletic Association Men's Athlete of the Week (Aug. 27-Sept. 2)
NWC Men's Runner of the Week (HM, Aug. 27-Sept. 2)
- Rachel Giffey-Brohaugh
Bruin Athletic Association Women's Athlete of the Week (Aug. 27-Sept. 2)
NWC Women's Runner of the Week (HM, Aug. 27-Sept. 2; HM, Sept. 10-16)
- Jordan Ware
NWC Men's Runner of the Week (HM, Sept. 10-16)
* Bruin Women 6th, Men 8th in USTFCCCA Pre-Season Regional Rankings
In the pre-season rankings of NCAA Division III cross country teams by the United State Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) of Sept. 11, the George Fox women were rated 6th in the West Region and the Bruin men were 8th in the West.
The top 10 men's teams were predicted to be Colorado College, Willamette University, Occidental College, the University of Puget Sound, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, Linfield College, Whitworth University, George Fox University, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, and Lewis & Clark College.
The women's top 10 consisted of Willamette University, the University of Puget Sound, Whitman College, Colorado College, Lewis & Clark College, George Fox University, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, Occidental College, Whitworth University, and the University of Redlands.
For complete national and regional rankings, visit the USTFCCCA web site.
* Results Finally Available for Sundodger Men's Open
Due in an inadvertant omission by the computer technicians working the Sundodger Invitational on Sept. 15, the times for the runners in the Men's 8K Open were left off the printed results of that particular race. As a result, runners knew where they finished and what the team scores were, but not the official times. Results were finally obtained from the University of Washington sports information office. Here are the results for the George Fox men who ran in that race:
Jordan Ware - 26:04 (31/st/26th)
Cam Eberhart - 26:11 (35th/29th)
Paul Rapet - 26:25 (43rd/33rd)
Grant Finney - 26:33 (50th/37th)
Brad Higgins - 27:02 (78th/60th)
Adam Haldorson - 29:22 (170th)
Clayton Pugsley - 30:46 (189th)
Complete results are now available on the George Fox web site at www.georgefox.edu/athletics/cross_country/2007/results/0915m.html.