Women's Course

HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i women's cross country team will host the Western Athletic Conference Championships, for the second time in the program's history, Saturday, Oct. 29 at Kane'ohe Klipper Golf Course on the Marines Corps Base Hawai'i in Kane'ohe, O'ahu.
 
The women's 5K race begins at 9:00 a.m., which follows the men's race that starts at 8:00 a.m. The Rainbow Wahine are seeded seventh among nine teams. Defending champion Idaho is seeded first, followed by New Mexico State, Utah State, Fresno State, Nevada, UH, San Jose State, and Louisiana Tech.
 
UH has previously hosted the WAC Championship in 2001, also at the Kane'ohe Klipper Golf Course. That year, Hawai'i placed fourth and produced its first and only WAC champion in Cheryl Smith. Teammate Casey McGuire-Turcotte finished runner-up.
 
For the second straight year, the Rainbow Wahine placed seventh at last year's WAC Championships in Moscow, Idaho. Ashley Aitken placed 14^th overall, the 10^th highest WAC finish in school history. She completed the 5K course in 18:13.
 
This season, UH is led by sophomore Kevyn Murphy, who was the team's top finisher in four of the five meets she's competed in this season. Her season-best 5K time is 18:28.2 at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational two weeks ago. The Torrance, Calif., native has four Top 10 finishes on the year and was named WAC Athlete of the Week after placing fourth at the UH-Hilo Invitational earlier this month.
 
Murphy placed 36^th at last year's WAC Championships in Moscow, completing the course in 18:57.31. Also competing at last year's WAC meet were Liisa Cushing (19:54.83, 59^th), Ashlee Jimenez (19:34.58, 50^th), and Alison Williams (20:30.66, 65^th), all of whom are entered in this year's race.
 
UH's highest finish at the WAC Championships was fourth, twice, in 2000 and 2001. The Rainbow Wahine have finished no higher than fifth since then.
 
In 1992, Hawai'i hosted the Big West Conference Championship at the Pali Golf Course. UH finished fifth.
 
Meet #8
What: WAC Championships
Date: Saturday, Oct. 29
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Where: Kane'ohe Klipper Golf Course; Kane'ohe, O'ahu 
 
UH's Participants at the WAC Championships: Celeste Almaraz, Liisa Cushing, Megan Dart, Ariana Horton, Ashlee Jimenez, Louise Mulvey, Kevyn Murphy, Hayley Musashi, Evangeline Rehwaldt, Alison Williams