Final Notes

HONOLULU – University of Hawai'i senior Jessica Forrester was the lone Rainbow Wahine who competed in the NCAA West Regional Cross Country Championships in Oregon, the team's final meet of the 2009 season. Forrester completed the 6K course in 23:07.57 to place 113th overall. It marked the first time since 2005 that the Rainbow Wahine did not field a team for the meet.

 

Under the tutelage of coach Althea Belgrave, the UH harriers completed a respectable season. Transfers Jessica Forrester and Ashley Aitken were consistently among UH's top finishers all season long. Aitken achieved personal bests twice, finishing the season with a 5K time of 17:23. Forrester was UH's top finisher in three meets and captured the individual title at the Big Wave Invitational. At the conference level, UH placed seventh, scoring 170 points at the WAC Championships, a full 61 points and one place better than the previous year.

 

Jessica Forrester, a Division II All-American at the University of Tampa, made the most out of her only year of eligibility for the Rainbow Wahine. She was the team's top finisher in three meets this season, captured UH's Big Wave Invitational, and placed runner-up in the season-opening HPU Invitational. Forrester also was UH's top finisher at the WAC Championships, where she completed the 5K course in 20:33 to place 24th overall.

 

Junior Ashley Aitken, a transfer from the University of Tulsa, broke her personal 5K best during consecutive weeks, with a time of 17:53 at the Dellinger Invitational and 17:23 at the Santa Clara Invitational. Aitken spent the past two seasons at Tulsa, where she excelled in the 800-meter run.

 

With the cross country season finished, UH now prepares for the start of the indoor track and field season, which begins in January with a trip to Washington for the UW Indoor Preview.