USATF
Announces World Cross Country Team
USATF
18 March 2002 - USA Track & Field announced the Team USA lineups that will compete at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, March 23-24 in Dublin, Ireland.
Leaders on this year’s U.S. team include 2000 Olympians Deena Drossin, Suzy Favor Hamilton, Elva Dryer, Jennifer Rhines, Amy Rudolph, Abdi Abdirahman, Tony Cosey and Meb Keflezighi. University of Colorado standout Dathan Ritzenhein, who won the bronze medal in the Junior Men’s competition at the 2001 World Cross Country Championships, will compete in the senior men’s long race in Dublin. Men’s and women’s 2002 U.S. Junior champions Tim Moore and Maria Cicero also will compete in Dublin.
Athletes earned their places on the U.S. team during a two-day trials competition that mirrored the format used at the World Championships. At the USA Winter Cross Country Nationals February 9-10 in Vancouver, Washington, three championship races were held each day with the top-six finisher in each competition qualifying for the trip to Ireland.
Deena Drossin won her fifth U.S. 8K national cross country title in Vancouver, easily defending her crown by a 15-second margin over runner-up Colleen De Reuck, who will also compete in Dublin. Drossin demonstrated her fitness earlier this month by winning the U.S. 15K Championships at the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, Florida in the new American record time of 48:14, a mark that stood for 12 years. Drossin’s 15K victory was her third consecutive at that event.
Meb Keflezighi will lead the U.S. men’s team in Dublin after edging teammate Abdi Abdirahman for his second straight national 12K cross country title in Vancouver. Both competitors finished the course in 34:45, with Keflezighi winning the title in one of the closest Championships races ever. Keflezighi also shined at the recent U.S. 15K Championships, successfully defending his title in 42:29.
Opting not to compete in Dublin are 4K champions Tim Broe and Regina Jacobs, who are concentrating on preparing for the 2002 outdoor season in the men's and women's steeplechase, respectively. Saying he has "been traveling too much," Broe will stay home to recover from his successful indoor season and to train for his goal of breaking Henry Marsh's American record in the steeplechase this season. The record could be in serious jeopardy as Broe already has one Area Record on his resume this year, breaking Steve Scott's mark in the indoor 3,000m in January.
Similary, Jacobs and her husband and coach, Tom Craig, have their eyes on the steeple. After an active indoor season that included indoor world-best times for 2 miles and 3 miles, Jacobs will rest for two weeks before immersing herself in steeplechase training for the first time in her career.
USA Team
Roster (Alphabetical by event)
Senior Men 12K
Abdi Abdirahman
Matt Downin
Greg Jimmerson
Meb Keflezighi
Dathan Ritzenhein
Clint Wells
Senior Men 4K
Jared Cordes
Tony Cosey
Dave Davis
Matt Lane
Jonathon Riley
Jorge Torres
Junior Men 8K
Rod Koborsi
Young-Sung Leal
Bobby Lockhart
Tim Moore
William Nelson
Zachary Sabatino
Senior Women 8K
Colleen De Reuck
Deena Drossin
Elva Dryer
Milena Glusac
Jennifer Rhines
Amy Rudolph
Senior Women 4K
Suzy Favor Hamilton
Sarah Hann
Mary Jayne Harrelson
Sarah Toland
Carrie Tollefson
Janet Trujillo
Junior Women 6K
Kathryn Anderson
Sara Bei
Maria Nicole Cicero
Valerie Lauver
Nicole Lee
Erika Odlaug
