Nov. 21, 2002

Chapel Hill, N.C. -- The University of North Carolina women's cross country will participate in the NCAA Championship, in Terre Haute, Ind., Monday, November 25. The Tar Heels are one of six ACC teams competing in the event (Wake Forest, NC State, Florida State, Duke and Virginia). Junior Shalane Flanagan (Marblehead, Mass.) will compete for her first national championship. Flanagan has won all four competitions she has competed in for Carolina including earning her third straight ACC and Southeast Regional titles this season.

The championship race will be a 6K race, beginning at noon, with approximately 255 competitors. 31 teams will be vying for the national championship. No. 1 BYU is the defending champion and will be the favorite again this year. The Tar Heels head into the race ranked No. 18.

"We are excited about competing in our fifth straight NCAA Championship," said cross country coach Michael Whittlesey. "We are rested and I think our experience and leadership will help us at this year's championship.

"We have not fared as well as we'd like at the ACC and Southeast Region Championships, but the ACC is as good as it's ever been and I think we are right up there with the rest of them."

The Tar Heels are allowed to race a total of five competitors. The seven Carolina runners will be Flanagan, Senior Liz Awtrey (Burke, Va.), Junior Jennie Sucher (Dayton, Ohio), Sophomores Erin Donohue (Haddonfield, N.J.) and Alice Schmidt (Omaha, Neb.), plus freshmen Cassie King (Kernersville, N.C.) and Jessica Perry (Venetia, Pa.). Flanagan, Donohue, Schmidt and Perry all earned All-Southeast Region honors at the Southeast Region on November 16. UNC will leave Saturday morning and compete Monday afternoon.