INDIANAPOLIS - America’s finest cross country runners, including five returning champions, will compete at the 2002 USA Winter Cross Country Championships, February 9-10 at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Wash.

The Winter Cross Country Nationals, which serves as the U.S. National Championships, is also the selection event for the U.S. team that will compete at the 2001 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, March 23-24 in Dublin, Ireland.

More than 500 athletes will compete in six championship races that will be conducted in Vancouver over a two-day period. The top six finishers in the Senior and Junior competitions qualify for the U.S. team that will travel to Dublin for the World Championships. In addition, the U.S. Masters Men and Women National 6K Cross Country Championships will take place on Saturday, February 9.

Athletes returning to Vancouver to defend their 2001 U.S. titles include Tim Broe (Men’s 4K), Meb Keflezighi (Men’s12K), Regina Jacobs (Women’s 4K) and four-time 8K women’s champion Deena Drossin. 2001 U.S. Junior women’s champ Laura Zeigle also will defend her title.

The schedule for this year’s U.S. Cross Country Championships follows. All times are Pacific Standard Time.

February 9, 2002 10:00 a.m. Community 4K Run 10:45 p.m. Junior Women’s 6K National Championship 11:30 a.m. Senior Men’s 4K National Championship 12:00 p.m. Senior Women’s 8K National Championship 12:45 p.m. Masters Women's 6K Championship 1:30 p.m. Masters Men's 6K Championship

February 10, 2002 10:00 a.m. Junior Men’s 8K National Championship 11:00 a.m. Senior Women’s 4K National Championship 11:45 p.m. Senior Men’s 12K National Championship

For the second straight year, USA Track & Field of Oregon and Vancouver National Historic Reserve will host the Winter Nationals. The event director is Harry Simonis, (503) 668-0998.

A Little History: This year’s national championships will be the 104th edition of the men’s event and the 38th race for the women. The men’s race dates back to 1890, when the first championship took place under the guidance of the Amateur Athletic Union (USATF replaced the AAU as America’s track and field governing body in 1979). No events took place in 1893-96, 1899-1900 and 1904. The USA Championships were not conducted in 1998 due to the change from hosting the event in early December to conducting the event in February, beginning in 1999. The first women’s championship took place in 1964. The men’s and women’s Championships were held together for the first time in 1979.

Past champions of the men’s event include all-time greats including seven-time champ Don Lash (1934-’40), four-time winner and 1972 Olympic marathon gold medalist Frank Shorter (1970-’73), three-time New York Marathon winner Alberto Salazar, eight-time U.S. cross country champ Pat Porter (1982-’89), two-time Olympian Bob Kennedy and 1996 Olympic Marathon Trials winner Bob Kempainen. At the 2000 Championships in Greensboro, N.C., Adam Goucher became the first and only man in history to win both the long and short course races at the same Championships. The 4K competitions for senior men and women were added in 1998.

The women’s competition has also seen many great champions including five-time winner Doris Brown-Heritage (1966, 1968-71), two-time champ Francie Larrieu Smith (1972-’73), nine-time champion Lynn Jennings (1985, 1987-’93, 1996) two-time short course champ Amy Rudolph (1998-’99) and four-time defending 8K champion Deena Drossin. Drossin also won the short course race in 2000, making her the only woman ever to win both titles in the same year.

The following lists the requirements for entry in each of the 2002 USA Winter Cross Country Championship races:

SENIOR COMPETITION: All USATF-registered male athletes 16 years of age or older and female athletes who are 14 years of age or older on the day of the competition are eligible.

JUNIOR COMPETITION: All USATF-registered athletes who are 14 years of age or older on the day of the competition, and who will not turn 20 in 2002 are eligible to compete.

MASTERS COMPETITION: All USATF-registered age male and female athletes who are at least 40 years of age on the last day of competition who are U.S. citizens or resident aliens may compete in masters competition.

TEAM SCORING: Along with the individual competition in the Junior and Senior races, team scoring will take place. A minimum of four runners and a maximum of six runners will constitute a team. The combined points of each team’s first four finishers will determine a team’s score. Cross country displacement scoring will be utilized. The team with the lowest score will be the winning team.

Note: For media accreditation for the 2002 USA Winter Cross Country Championships, contact Tom Surber at (317) 261-0500 ext. 317. For more information on the event, visit the USATF Web site at http://www.usatf.org.