Nov. 28, 2006

Complete Release With Full List of Conference Cross Country Award Winners
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WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- OREGON's Galen Rupp and STANFORD's Arianna Lambie were named the Pacific-10 Conference Cross Country Athletes of the Year, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced today.

Rupp, a sophomore from Portland, Ore., captured his first Pac-10 title when he crossed the line in 23:03 to become the 10th Oregon runner to win the conference title, and the first since Steve Fein crossed the line first in 1999. Rupp went on to pace the Ducks to victory at the 10,000-meter NCAA West Regional race with a fourth-place finish (30:15) and finished sixth (31.03) at the NCAA Championships.

Lambie, a junior from Harvard, Mass., repeats as Pac-10 Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year after defending her Pac-10 title with a clocking of 20:15. Stanford runners have won the Pac-10 individual title in six of the last eight championships. Lambie went on to finish first (20:58) at the NCAA West Regional and was the Pac-10's top finisher at the NCAA Championships with a fourth-place finish (20:43) in leading the Cardinal in defense of their NCAA title.

OREGON freshman Diego Mercado, from West Covina, Calif., was named the Pac-10 Men's Cross Country Newcomer of the Year. He was the top placing freshman at the Pac-10 Championships, finishing ninth (23:38). His performance was key in leading the Ducks to their 14th Pac-10 title, and their first league title since 1995 . Mercado is the second Oregon runner to earn Newcomer of the Year honors, joining Jason Hartmann who claimed the honor in 1999. Mercado finished 11th at the NCAA West Regional, and 49th at the NCAA Championships.

ARIZONA STATE freshman Ali Kielty, from Torrance, Calif., was named the Pac-10 Women's Cross Country Newcomer of the Year. Kielty was the top finishing freshman at the Pac-10 Championships, earning second team All-Conference honors with a 13th-place showing (21:10). Her finish helped lead the Sun Devils to a second place finish at the Pac-10 Championships. She is the second Arizona State runner to earn Newcomer of the Year honors.

Also announced were the Conference Coach of the Year honors. Oregon's Vin Lananna was honored as the Pac-10 Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year, while Stanford's Peter Tegen picked up his second straight Pac-10 Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year honor.

Lananna guided Oregon to its first Pac-10 title since 1995, and a tie for fifth at the NCAA Championships. Tegen led the Cardinal women in successful defense of their NCAA title - the school's fourth title overall. Along the way, the Cardinal women picked up their 11th consecutive Pac-10 title, and 13th league title overall.

The honors were decided by a vote of the Conference's cross country coaches.

First Team
Galen Rupp, So., Oregon
Robert Cheseret, Sr., Arizona
Neftalem Araia, Sr., Stanford
Aaron Aguayo, Sr., Arizona State
Obed Mutanya, Sr., Arizona
Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott, Jr., Oregon
Jeremy Mineau, Jr., Washington

Second Team
Brett Gotcher, Sr., Stanford
Diego Mercado, Fr., Oregon
Kyle Alcorn, Jr., Arizona State
David Torrence, Jr., California
Pat Werhane, Sr., Oregon
Jonathan Pierce, Sr., Stanford
Jacob Gomez, Sr., Stanford

Athlete of the Year
Galen Rupp, So., Oregon

Newcomer of the Year
Diego Mercado, Fr., Oregon

Coach of the Year
Vin Lananna, Stanford

First Team
Arianna Lambie, Jr., Stanford
Kathleen Trotter, Sr., Stanford
Amanda Trotter, Sr., Stanford
Teresa McWalters, Jr., Stanford
Cassie Rios, Jr., Arizona State
Amy Lia, Jr., Washington
Brooke Bennett, Jr., Arizona State

Second Team
Allie Bohannan, So., UCLA
Anita Campbell, So., Washington
Jenna Kingma, So., Arizona State
Haley Paul, Jr., Washington State
Lauren Centrowitz, Jr., Stanford
Ali Kielty, Fr., Arizona State
Zoe Nelson, So., Oregon

Athlete of the Year
Arianne Lambie, Jr., Stanford

Newcomer of the Year
Ali Kielty, Fr., Arizona State

Coach of the Year
Peter Tegen, Stanford

* - All-Conference teams determined by order of finish at the Pac-10 Championships.