Rocklin, Calif. – After a second place finish in 2012, the William Jessup University women's cross country team has been driven throughout the off season to prepare to get over the top of the mountain in 2013. The Lady Warriors will kick off the 2013 season this Saturday at the Fresno State University Invitational and fifth year head coach Parker Daniells is excited to see what this blend of runners will do this season.

"While there is a core group of returners, we have a good mix of newcomers that will help us compete for a Cal Pac Championship," stated Coach Daniells.  "We are excited to get after it this Saturday and see where we are and where we need to go.  The most important part is pushing the team to run their personal best each race and striving to reach their individual goals by peaking at the right moment at the end of the season."

The Lady Warriors top runner, senior Hannah Weisner, returns for her final season.  She earned All-California Pacific Conference in 2012 as she placed second in the conference championship, only thirty seconds behind the champion, with a time of 20:14.  At the NAIA National Championships, she finished 243 out of 320 runners with a time of 20:47. 

After Weisner, a host of runners will look to step up for the Lady Warriors.  Sophomore Allyson Richmond hopes to build on a strong freshman year.  She finished in fourteenth place at the Cal Pac Championships with a time of 22:13.  Senior Nazareth Arzate placed seventeenth with a time of 22:19.  Fellow seniors Christina Malek and Megan Crutchfield will look to make a big impact in their final year. A trio of freshman will look to climb into the top seven.  

The Warriors will get to preview the Cal Pac Championship course at Woodward Park this Saturday.