Oct. 17, 2004

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Trevor Ball, a junior from Hyrum, Utah, raced to a 22nd-place finish and led Utah State to a 14th-place team finish at Pre-Nationals held at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind. on Saturday, Oct. 16.

Ball, who has only ran in two races this season, ran the 8,000-meter course in 24:27. David Danley, who has been USU's lead runner in the first three meets, was the next Aggie finisher at 24:44 which placed him in 39th-place. Clark Bryner was third for the Aggies with 53rd-place and a time of 24:54.

"David and Clark ran well as usual, but Trevor ran great," said Coach Gregg Gensel, head cross-country coach, "Trevor ran real strong in the last half of the race.

The Aggie men raced against eight nationally ranked teams beating one of them. Coach Gensel said the men beat a few teams they needed to beat, Montana State and Arizona state were two of those teams.

"To be honest, I think we can run better, but I am pleased with the way they ran," Coach Gensel said.

The Aggie women placed 18th and were led by Sophomore Ashley Johnson from Hyrum, Utah. Johnson finished 59th with a time of 21:43 on the 6,000-meter course. Lida Ripplinger finished in 69th-place with a time of 21:50 and Tiffany Strickland finished in 87th with a time of 22:01. Johnson and Ripplinger have been the Aggies top finishers this year.

"Ashley is starting to run more like she did last year," Coach Gensel said.

Coach Gensel said he is pleased with the performance of the women's team. The team raced against eight nationally ranked teams. He said the race was good for the freshmen on the team, because it gave them experience running in a large meet with plenty of competition.

Pre-Nationals gives runners the opportunity to run the course where Nationals will be held. Colorado took first on the men's side and Stanford took first for the women. The men's race had 35 teams and the women's race had 36.

The Aggies will continue their season at the Big West Championship in Riverside, Calif. on Oct. 30.

Pre-Nationals Terre Haute, Ind.

Men's Team Results

1. Stanford	77
2. Notre Dame	165
3. Michigan	188
4. BYU	190
5. Florida State	203
14. Utah State	386

Individual Results

1. Ryan Hall, Stanford	23:54
22. Trevor Ball		24:27
39. David Danley	24:44
53. Clark Bryner	24:54
131. Jason Holt	25:35
141. Steven Strickland	25:40
215. Ben Kessen	26:33
233. Carson Campbell	27:25

Women's Team Results

1. Colorado		94
2. Michigan		109
3. Arizona State	187
4. North Carolina State	207
5. Michigan State	218
18. Utah State		522

Individual Results

1. Renee Metevier, Colorado	20:03
59. Ashley Johnson		21:43
69. Lida Ripplinger		21:50
87. Tiffany Strickland		22:01
126. Stacie Lifferth		22:24
181. Becca Meier		23:03
206. Becky Bostwick		23:30
209. Carolyn Andrus		23:31