Harrier Kara Newton To Vie For National Title
11/19/2000 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Nov. 19, 2000
AMES, Iowa - Baylor's Kara Newton will compete for a national title here Monday at the NCAA Cross Country Championships hosted by Iowa State. This will mark fourth consecutive season in which a Baylor team or individual has competed in the Championships.
Newton, a junior from Amarillo, Texas, will be making her second appearance in the Championships. She placed 193rd in the 5,000 meters as a freshman in 1998 with a time of 19 minutes, seven seconds. That year, she was one of seven Baylor harriers running as the Bears finished eighth as a team.
However, there will be two distinct differences this time around for Newton. First, the course will be 6,000 meters. Second, Newton is expected to finish much higher than the low 100s.
Last month, she placed fifth at the Big 12 Championships with a time of 20:47 in the 6,000 meters to earn all-Big 12 honors. Last weekend, she turned in a time of 20:51.45 in the same distance at the NCAA South Central Regional. While the Bears just missed out on a team invitation, finishing fourth (the top two teams advance), Newton's time was good enough for sixth and an individual invitation to Ames.
"Kara is just a great runner," Baylor head coach Todd Harbour said. "She is enjoying an outstanding season, and she would love to cap it with all-America honors. She's hoping to finish in the top 25. She'd like to finish higher than that, but I think the top 25 is a legitimate goal for her."
Harbour said Newton's biggest test will be the size of the field, which should swell to over 250 strong with more than 25 teams and an additional 30-plus individuals.
"Kara will have to get out strong," Harbour said. "And that really goes against her strategy in recent races. She likes to lay back and work her way through the field. But with a field this big, she really needs to come out strong and not have to work through too much of a crowd."
The race will get underway at 11 a.m. at the Iowa State Cross Country Course. Last season, Karin Ernstrom represented Baylor at the NCAA Championships with a 22nd-place time of 17:15.20 in the 5,000 meters.
Kara Newton Profile
1999: Teamed with Leah Marbach to finish eighth at the six-mile Rice Relays with a time of 34:10...Finished ninth at the Baylor Invitational with a time of 18:55.79...Turned in an 18:15 performance at the Cowboy Jamboree to place 11th...Time of 18:13.26 was good enough for 20th at the Penn State Open National Invitational...Finished third, behind only teammates Karin Ernstrom and Sarah Broyles, at the Southwest Texas State Invitational with a time of 11:13 in the two mile...Placed 26th at the Big 12 Championships with a time of 18:04...Helped Baylor to a third-place team finish at the NCAA South Central Regional with a 16th-place time of 17:57. 1998: Placed 16h in first collegiate meet with a time of 19:45.10 at the Baylor Invitational...Turned in a time of 18:10 at the Notre Dame Invitational to place 45th...Gained second career top-20 finish at the Texas A&M Invitational, coming in 18th with a time of 18:59...Placed 47th at the Big 12 Championships with a time of 18:51.90...Turned in a time of 18:41 to finish 32nd at the NCAA South Central Regional...Finished 193rd at the NCAA Championships with a time of 19:07.55. High School: Attended Amarillo High School in Amarillo, Texas...Named cross country team MVP each year from 1994 through 1998...Also earned track MVP honors in 1998...Named 1997 cross country athlete of the year (TGCA)...All-state honoree in track and field and cross country...Participated in the National Honor Society...1998 academic all-state honoree. Personal: Full name is Kara Christine Newton...Born April 29, 1980 in Fort Worth, Texas...Daughter of Jim and Kathie Newton...Studying secondary education at Baylor.
Career Individual Results
1998Date Meet Distance Time PlaceSept. 26 Baylor Invitational 5000 m 19:45.10 16thOct. 2 Notre Dame Invitational 5000 m 18:10.00 45thOct. 17 Texas A&M Invitational 5000 m 18:59.00 18thOct. 31 Big 12 Championships 5000 m 18:51.90 47thNov. 14 NCAA South Central Championships 5000 m 18:41.00 32ndNov. 23 NCAA National Championships 5000 m 19:07.55 193rd
1999Date Meet Distance Time PlaceSept. 25 Baylor Invitational 5000 m 18:55.79 9thOct. 2 Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree 5000 m 18:15.00 11thOct. 9 Penn State Open Invitational 5000 m 18:13.26 20thOct. 22 Southwest Texas State 2 miles 11:13.00 3rdOct. 30 Big 12 Championships 5000 m 18:04.00 26thNov. 13 NCAA South Central Regional 5000 m 17:57.00 16th
2000Date Meet Distance Time PlaceSept. 30 Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree 5000 m 18:27.00 t9thOct. 6 North Texas Invitational 3 miles 17:23.00 1stOct. 14 Arkansas Chili Pepper Festival 6000 m 21:43.00 9thOct. 28 Big 12 Championships 6000 m 20:47.00 5thNov. 11 NCAA South Central Regional 6000 m 20:51.45 6th
