UW frosh Chelsea Orr leads USA jr women's squad at NACAC cross country championships, plus links...

University of Washington freshman Chelsea Orr (left/photo by Paul Merca) leads the Team USA junior women's (19-under) squad into action at Saturday's North America, Central America & Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) cross country championships at Queen's Park Savannah in Trinidad.

Orr finished seventh at the USA cross country championships on February 5th, running 22:22 over the 6 km course at San Diego's Mission Bay Park.

This indoor season, Orr's run 4:47.51 in the mile at the UW Invitational, and 9:26.73 in the 3000 at the Flotrack Husky Classic, both personal bests.

The Eastlake HS grad will be joined in Trinidad by Julia Foster (Albuquerque, N.M.); Alexis Goldsmith (Orland Park, Ill.); and Sarah Fakler (Phoenix, Ariz.).

Orr remains the #1 alternate for the USA world championship team that travels to Punta Umbria, Spain next month.

In last year's meet in Trinidad, current Husky Lindsay Flanagan finished sixth in 14:08 over a 4 k distance, the same distance they will race this year.

Team USA looks to unseat the defending NACAC junior women's champions from Canada.

The USATF release can be accessed here.

LAGAT NAMED USATF ATHLETE OF THE WEEK...

In other USA Track & Field news, the federation announced that Washington State University hall of famer Bernard Lagat was named its athlete of the week for breaking the American record in the two-mile run last Saturday in New York.

Lagat's time of 8 minutes, 10.07 seconds bettered Doug Padilia's 8:15.02 two-mile record set in 1990 at the Los Angeles Forum. Lagat won the race on the Armory's 200-meter track, running the final mile in 4:02. For his record-setting efforts the New York Road Runners presented Lagat a check for $10,000.

The USATF release can be read here…

COUGARS HOST WSU OPEN II INDOOR MEET...

In Pullman, Washington State University will host the WSU Open II indoor meet Friday and Saturday at their indoor practice facility. Expected athletes competing will come from Idaho, Spokane CC, Whitworth, Gonzaga, Lewis-Clark State, Eastern Oregon, and Linfield.

WSU's release can be read here…

Finally, here's a great piece on Washington prep sensation and 2010 world junior championships competitor Andrea Geubelle, the Curtis HS graduate, and current member of the University of Kansas track team.

On why she decided to attend Kansas, she pointed out that “My whole family lives in Kansas,” said Geubelle. “My parents grew up here so we’ve always been KU fans.”

“I had a lot of other perspective schools and then I met Coach (Wayne) Pate,” said Geubelle. ‘He coached the same way as my high school coach, so it seemed like a really good fit. He is a fun and outgoing guy and he has developed so many Olympians.”

Among those Pate coached over the years include 1988 USA outdoor long jump champion and current leader of the Seatown Express elite high school squad Eric Metcalf.

You can read the full story here...

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