Sept. 3, 2003

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Providence College women's cross country team is ranked sixth in the FinishLynx Division I Women's Cross Country National Preseason Poll, which was released on Wednesday, September 3.

Brigham Young (390 points) received all 13 first place votes to garner the No. 1 spot. Stanford (371 points), Notre Dame (358 points), Colorado (351 points) and Villanova (330 points) round out the top five.

Last season, the Friars finished sixth at the NCAA Championship in Terre Haute, Indiana. The sixth-place finish was the team's best since the 1997 season, when it also placed sixth. It also marked the 13th time in 14 years that the Friars have placed in the top 10 at the NCAA Championship. Providence captured the NCAA title in 1995.

The Friars, who begin the 2003 campaign on Friday, September 5, will have a strong team this season. Providence will be led by junior All-American Mary Cullen (Sligo, Ireland) and junior Kimberly Smith (Auckland, New Zealand). Last season, Cullen was the highest PC finisher at the NCAA Cross Country Championship, finishing 28th overall to earn All-America accolades. Smith begins her first season with the Friars after competing in the 2003 World Cross Country Championships in Switzerland.

Head Coach Ray Treacy, who is entering his 20th season at Providence, also will rely on junior Deirdre Byrne (Avoca, Ireland), sophomore Fiona Crombie (Christchurch, New Zealand) and senior Lisa Cappello (Lockport, N.Y.). Byrne finished 71st overall at the NCAA Cross Country Championship last season, while Cappello placed 176th. Crombie will compete in her first season with the cross country team after competing with the track team last season.

The Friars will open the 2003 season on Friday, September 5 at Goddard Park in Warwick, R.I. at 3:00 p.m. in a meet hosted by Providence College. The tri-meet also will feature the University of Rhode Island and the University of Connecticut.

FinishLynx NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN'S NCAA CROSS COUNTRY POLL
September 3, 2003
Rank	Team (First place votes)      Points
1	Brigham Young (13)            390
2	Stanford                      371
3	Notre Dame                    358
4	Colorado                      351
5	Villanova                     330
6	PROVIDENCE                    329
7	Wake Forest                   303
8	Georgetown                    296
9	Columbia                      271
10	Northern Arizona              264
11	North Carolina                255
12	Michigan                      253
13	Michigan State                227
14	North Carolina State          216
15	Arkansas                      212
16	Duke                          175
17	Missouri                      168
18	Indiana                       166
19	Arizona State                 151
20	Virginia                      128