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Nov. 5, 1997
Big 12 Announces 1997 AwardsDALLAS, Texas - Colorado's Jennifer Smith and Nebraska's Jeroen Broekzitter were selected as the 1997 Big 12 Conference Cross Country Newcomers of the Year in a vote by the league coaches Tuesday. Colorado coach Mark Wetmore also was selected as both the 1997 Big 12 Conference Women's and Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year. Smith led the Buffaloes in all four meets she entered in 1997, including a second-place finish at the 1997 Big 12 Conference Cross Country Championships this past weekend in Stillwater, Okla. The freshman covered the 5K course in a time of 17:35, just six seconds off the lead. The Spokane, Wash., native also led the Buffaloes during the regular season, finishing first at the Colorado State Invitational, second at the Rocky Mountain Shootout and 18th at the NCAA Pre-Meet. Broekzitter entered the 1997 Big 12 Championships having finished no lower than ninth. He continued the streak at the Big 12 Championships as he recorded a sixth-place finish with a time of 24:43 on the 8K course. The freshman from Utrecht, The Netherlands, made it to the Big 12 Championships by finishing first at the KSU Invitational, second at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invite, third at the Roy Griak Invitational, ninth at the NCAA Pre-Meet and fifth at the Wolverine Interregional. Wetmore earned Big 12 Cross Country Coach of the Year honors after leading both his women's team and his men's team to first-place finishes at this year's Big 12 Championships. The Colorado women beat second-place Nebraska 23-92, while the men's squad outdistanced runner-up Iowa State 32-86. Wetmore's teams have gained the highest ranking of any Big 12 teams in national polls, with the women coming into the Big 12 Championships at No. 5 and the men at No. 4. The Big 12 Conference also named the 1997 Men's and Women's All-Big 12 Cross Country Team Tuesday. The All-Big 12 Cross Country Teams are designated as the top seven finishers at the Big 12 Conference Cross Country Championships. The members of the women's All-Big 12 Team, in order of finish, are Missouri junior Erin Windler, Smith, Colorado sophomore Kara Wheeler, Colorado senior Kelly Smith, Colorado junior Heather Burroughs, Nebraska freshman Amy Wiseman, and Texas Tech junior Evette Turner. The members of the men's All-Big 12 Team, in order of finish, are Colorado junior Adam Goucher, Nebraska senior Cleophas Boor, Iowa State senior Saul Lempirikany, Iowa State junior David Lichoro, Colorado senior Clint Wells, Broekzitter, and Colorado junior Tom Reese. See these runners and their respective teams compete Nov. 15 as the Big 12 teams will run in NCAA District meets in an attempt to qualify for the 59th men's and the 17th women's NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will compete at the District V meet in Ames, Iowa; Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech will compete at the District VI meet in Denton, Texas; and Colorado will compete at the District VII meet in Ogden, Utah.
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