Meet Notes

The University of Hawai'i women's cross country team will compete at the WAC Championships, Saturday, October 31 in search of its highest finish since 2001. The women's 5K race begins at 10:45 a.m. PT (6:45 a.m. HT) at Rancho San Rafael Park in Reno, Nev.

 

UH, seeded sixth entering the race, is looking to better their team performance from last year, when they finished in eighth place with a total of 231 points. Leading the pack this year are transfers Ashley Aitken and Jessica Forrester, whom each have taken top team honors twice this season.

 

In the pre-championship coaches poll, New Mexico State was picked first with seven of nine first place votes followed by 2008 champion Utah State with 55 points and two first place votes. The Rainbow Wahine garnered 31 points.

 

What: WAC Championships

Date: Saturday, Oct. 31

Time: 10:45 a.m. PT

Where: Rancho San Rafael Park; Reno, Nev.

Host: Nevada

 

The Rainbow Wahine placed eighth at the WAC Championships for the past four years. UH's highest finish at the meet was fourth, twice, in 2000 and 2001. In 2001, Cheryl Smith and Casey McGuire-Turcotte placed 1-2 in the meet, which was held at the Kane'ohe Klipper Golf Course.

 

Senior Jessica Forrester, a transfer from the University of Tampa, has made her mark on the team after just three races this season. The Division II All-American was the team's top finisher in UH's first two meets after placing second overall in the season-opening HPU Invitational and winning the Big Wave Invitational.

 

Junior Ashley Aitken, a transfer from the University of Tulsa, broke her personal best by another 30 seconds in the 5K race at the Santa Clara Invitational last weekend. Aitken completed the course in 17:23 to take top team honors while finishing sixth overall. Aitken transferred to UH after spending the past two seasons at Tulsa, where she competed on the cross country team as well as on the track team, where she excelled in the 800-meter run.