Courtesy: USATF

USA Track & Field on Monday announced the Team USA lineups that will compete at the 30th IAAF World Cross Country Championships, March 23-24 in Dublin, Ireland.

Leaders on this year's U.S. team include 2000 Olympians Deena Drossin (pictured), Suzy Favor Hamilton, Elva Dryer, Jennifer Rhines, Amy Rudolph, Abdi Abdirahman, Tony Cosey and Meb Keflezighi. University of Colorado standout Dathan Ritzenhein, who won the bronze medal in the Junior Men's competition at the 2001 World Cross Country Championships, will compete in the senior men's long race in Dublin. Men's and women's 2002 U.S. Junior champions Tim Moore and Maria Cicero also will compete in Dublin.

A total of six races will be held at the World Championships in the following divisions: senior men's 12K and 4K, senior women's 8K and 4K, junior men's 8K and junior women's 6K.

Athletes earned their places on the U.S. team during a two-day trials competition that mirrored the format used at the World Championships. At the USA Winter Cross Country Nationals February 9-10 in Vancouver, Washington, three championship races were held each day with the top-six finishers in each competition qualifying for the trip to Ireland.

Deena Drossin won her fifth U.S. 8K national cross country title in Vancouver, easily defending her crown by a 15-second margin over runner-up Colleen De Reuck, who will also compete in Dublin. Drossin demonstrated her fitness earlier this month by winning the U.S. 15K Championships at the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, Florida in the new American record time of 48 minutes, 14 seconds, a mark that stood for 12 years. Drossin's 15K victory was her third consecutive at that event.

Meb Keflezighi will lead the U.S. men's team in Dublin after edging teammate Abdi Abdirahman for his second straight national 12K cross country title in Vancouver. Both competitors finished the course in 34:45, with Keflezighi winning the title in one of the closest Championships races ever. Keflezighi also shined at the recent U.S. 15K Championships, successfully defending his title in 42:29.

Opting not to compete in Dublin are 4K champions Tim Broe and Regina Jacobs, who are concentrating on preparing for the 2002 outdoor season in the men's and women's steeplechase, respectively.

Saying he has "been traveling too much," Broe will stay home to recover from his successful indoor season and to train for his goal of breaking Henry Marsh's American record in the steeplechase this season. The record could be in serious jeopardy as Broe already has one AR on his resume this year, breaking Steve Scott's mark in the indoor 3,000m in January.

Similary, Jacobs and her husband and coach, Tom Craig, have their eyes on the steeple. After an active indoor season that included indoor world-best times for 2 miles and 3 miles, Jacobs will rest for two weeks before immersing herself in steeplechase training for the first time in her career.

"As much as Regina likes to think and act like a 29-year-old, her body is responding like a 39-year-old to the hard training, racing and travel," Craig said. Jacobs currently holds U.S. outdoor records at 1,000 and 5,000 meters.

2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
USA Team Roster (Alphabetical by event)
 
Senior Men 12K       U.S. Champs    Affiliation     Residence
Abdi Abdirahman      2nd - 35:45    Nike            Tucson, Ariz.
Matt Downin          4th - 36:00    Unattached      Madison, Wisc.
Greg Jimmerson       6th - 36:27    Nike Farm Team  Los Altos Hills, Calif.
Meb Keflezighi       1st - 35:45    Nike            Chula Vista, Calif.
Dathan Ritzenhein    5th - 36:19    U. of Colorado  Rockford, Mich.
Clint Wells          7th - 36:40    New York AC     Boulder, Colo.
 
Senior Men 4K
Jared Cordes         11th - 11:43   Wisc. Runner    Madison, Wisc.
Tony Cosey           3rd - 11:28    adidas          Knoxville, Tenn.
Dave Davis           4th - 11:29    Unattached      Portland, Ore.
Matt Lane            5th - 11:30    Nike            Williamsburg, Va.
Jonathon Riley       8th - 11:37    Unattached      Palo Alto, Calif.
Jorge Torres         2nd - 11:27    U. of Colorado  Boulder, Colo.
 
Junior Men 8K
Rod Koborsi          2nd - 24:55    Georgetown U.   Houston, Texas
Young-Sung Leal      6th - 25:18    Arroyo HS       San Leandro, Calif.
Bobby Lockhart       5th - 25:18    Handley HS      Winchester, Virginia.
Tim Moore            1st - 24:48    Novi HS         Novi, Michigan
William Nelson       3rd - 25:04    Taft Union HS   Bakersfield, Calif.
Zachary Sabatino     4th - 25:16    W. Virginia U.  Charleston, W.V.
 
Senior Women 8K
Colleen De Reuck     2nd - 26:46    Nike            Boulder, Colo.
Deena Drossin        1st - 26:31    Asics           Alamosa, Colo.
Elva Dryer           3rd - 26:51    Nike            Albuquerque, N.M.
Milena Glusac        5th - 27:12    adidas          Fallbrook, Calif.
Jennifer Rhines      4th - 27:04    adidas          Saint Davids, Pa.
Amy Rudolph          6th - 27:18    adidas          Providence, R.I.
 
Senior Women 4K
Suzy Favor Hamilton  3rd - 13:11    Nike            New Glarus, Wisc.
Sarah Hann           4th - 13:20    New Balance     Winchester, N.H.
Mary Jayne Harrelson 6th - 13:27    Nike            Blacksburg, Va.
Sarah Toland         7th - 13:32    Unattached      Boulder, Colo.
Carrie Tollefson     2nd - 13:01    adidas          Edina, Minn.
Janet Trujillo       5th - 13:22    Nike            Superior, Colo.
 
Junior Women 6K
Kathryn Anderson     6th - 21:41    Brigham Young   Provo, Utah
Sara Bei             3rd - 21:26    Stanford Univ.  Palo Alto, Calif.
Maria Nicole Cicero  1st - 21:05    Boston College  Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Valerie Lauver       5th - 21:40    Allen (TX) HS   Allen, Texas
Nicole Lee           4th - 21:33    Georgetown U.   Washington, D.C.
Erika Odlaug         2nd - 21:19     Deerfield HS    Bannockburn, Illinois