FRESNO, Calif. - The Hawai'i women's cross country team finished 17th at the NCAA West Regional, Saturday, at Woodward Park, which concluded the team's 2004 season. Leading the way for the Rainbow Wahine was sophomore Dana Buchanan, who finished 45th among nearly 200 athletes from 35 teams in the 6K event.

"As a team, it was a big improvement from last year and we had three athletes in the Top 100," head coach Carmyn James said. "We've very pleased with the final results and now we're looking forward to the track season."

Last season, the Rainbow Wahine placed 22nd at the West Regional where Buchanan was also the top finisher in that race. This year, she finished with a time of 21:52 and led a contingent which also featured freshman Sabrina Reeve (22:23, 67th), Chantelle Laan (22:34, 78th), Kelly Young (23:34, 131st), and Danielle Binns (24:05, 153rd). Also competing for the Rainbow Wahine was Heather Scott (24:22, 163rd), whose time did not count toward the team total.

Buchanan's finish was the fastest 6K time of the season for the Rainbow Wahine. It was also her personal best in that distance during her two-year career at UH.

The top two teams - Stanford and Arizona State - qualified for the NCAA Championships. Stanford's Alicia Craig won the individual title with a time of 20:03, edging ASU's Amy Hastings, who finished in 20:14.

On the year, the Rainbow Wahine won two events in 2004 - the Big Wave Invitational and Coed Sprint Invitational - both of which were hosted by UH at the Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course. The track and field season begins in late January with the first UH Sunrise Meet at Cooke Field.

2004 NCAA West Regional Results

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