Oct. 27, 2011

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - After taking a week off, the UNLV cross country team returns to action this Saturday, Oct. 29 at the Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins, Colo., for the 2011 Mountain West Cross Country Championships. The Rebels will run in the women's 6K race, which is scheduled for 11:00 am MT (10:00 am PT) following the men's 8K that begins at 10:00 am MT (9:00 am PT).

UNLV's contingent will be led by Lauren Petersen, who has finished sixth or better in four meets, including a first-place showing at the Northridge Invitational in Northridge, Calif., on Oct. 15. Petersen ran the 6K in a time of 21:54.16, which was a personal best and ranked sixth all-time on the Rebel performer list for that distance. The other three races that she participated in this season were all 5Ks.

"Our last race (Northridge Invitational) was our best race of the season and we look to build on that momentum at the Mountain West Championships," said cross country head coach Khadevis Robinson. "The conference championships will be a challenging one for our young team, yet I know the ladies are up for the challenge. This will be an opportunity to measure how much progress we have made and to build for regionals. With only two returners from last year's team, the championships will allow our runners to gain some experience and start to embrace the culture of believing we can and will compete with the best!"

Joining Petersen in the Rocky Mountains will be Laura Affeld, Alison Bartosch, Amanda Berg, Melissa Cortes, Auzsane Crowe-Carter, Larissa Davis, Kelsey Williamson and Brett Zorich.