4th-ranked harriers travel to Aztec Invitational

FAYETTEVILLE – The fourth-ranked University of Arkansas Lady Razorback cross country team looks to defend its title at the Aztec Invitational on Saturday in historic Balboa Park in San Diego, Calif., beginning at 9:00 a.m. pacific.

The Lady Razorbacks have won the Aztec Invitational for two consecutive seasons and hope to bring home the team title a third time as they head to the West Coast.

“We have had success at the Aztec the past couple of years and I hope that we can continue it this weekend,” Arkansas head coach Lance Harter said. “The level of competition will be much higher than it was last weekend and I think that this will be a much better gauge of where we stand as a team.”

Last season, the Lady Razorbacks went into the competition ranked eighth in the nation and walked away with a 40-point victory over teams like Long Beach St., Loyola Marymount and Cal St.- Fullerton. Individually, Lady Razorback runners finished 2-3-4-5-6-7-9 in a dominating performance. Leading the way was former Lady’Back Brooke Upshaw, but now junior Denise Bargiachi claimed third and sophomores Dani Parry and Miranda Walker, fourth and fifth.

While there are no teams ranked racing in the 2007 Aztec Invite, UC-Santa Barbara is receiving votes in the first United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association’s rankings and several teams have runners that should vie for an at-large berth at this fall’s NCAA Championships.

For more information about Lady Razorback cross country or about Arkansas women’s athletics, please go to www.ladybacks.com.