Laura Zeigle returns to defend Junior Women's title

VANCOUVER WA 1/31/02 -- Defending junior women's 6-kilometer national cross country champion Laura Zeigle of South Jordan, UT., today confirmed her participation in next week's USA Winter Cross Country Championships at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, WA.

According to her coach, Jeff Arbogast, Zeigle, a senior at Bingham High School in South Jordan, has been training exclusively for the national championships since her last major cross country competition, the Foot Locker West Regionals in Walnut, CA, on December 1st, where she dropped out after two miles. In 2001, Zeigle finished 47th at the World Cross Country Championships (photo at right by Paul Merca) in Oostende, Belgium; won the Utah state 5A 3200 meter title in a state record 10:47.52, and won the state 5A cross country title. Arbogast also announced that Laura's twin sister Jackie, will compete at the national championships in Vancouver. Jackie, who finished in the runner-up position to Laura in the Utah 5A championships in both the 3200 on the track and in cross country, finished seventh in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in Orlando, FL on December 8th. The Foot Locker meet is considered by many athletes, coaches, and experts of the sport as the unofficial national high school cross country championships.

from the web site of USATF Oregon, host of the 2002 Winter Nationals