University of Minnesota Athletics
Ness to Compete at APA Pan American Cup
2/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
MINNEAPOLIS - Gopher freshman Bailey Ness is set to represent the U.S. as a member of the U.S. Junior Women's National Team at the 2015 APA Pan American Cross Country Cup in Barranquilla, Colombia this Sunday.
Ness earned a place on the U.S. team by placing 10th at the 2015 USA Junior Cross Country Championships in Boudler, Colo., earlier this month. She finished the six-kilometer course in 23:04 en route to her top-10 showing.
"To be in the top 10 is a nice run, and she's just going to keep getting better because she's pretty low in mileage," head coach Sarah Hopkins said. "To be able to compete in this situation and come out with a U.S. team spot is pretty cool."
Fellow Gopher rookies Patty O'Brien (23:59) and Emily Castanias (24:02) finished 18th and 19th, respectively, at the USA Junior Cross Country Championships as well.
"We've never sent a group out to U.S. Juniors for cross country before," Hopkins said. "We thought this was a year where we had some talented freshmen, and they ended up falling in the right category by being young enough. The age restriction can make it a bit challenging from year to year.
"I thought it would be a good experience to put on a uniform, travel and learn the ropes of how that works. To have those three in the top 20 was great. I think they all learned a lot."
Ness competed for the Gophers as a true freshman last fall. Racing in six meets, she was Minnesota's eighth runner at the Big Ten Championship and ran a career-best 21:40 at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational. Ness was an alternate for the NCAA postseason as well. Meanwhile, O'Brien and Castanias both redshirted the cross country season.
"I think those three are going to be a big piece of the puzzle trying to make the Big Ten team next fall," Hopkins said. "My hope for this whole thing was not only to have it be a fun learning experience, but to be a building block in terms of taking these next seven months and using them wisely."
Ness has one more chance to race among some of the world's most talented junior runners this weekend. Sunday's Pan American Cross Country Cup is a four-kilometer race.
"I know Bailey was really excited just to make a team and have a chance to compete again," Hopkins said. "It's going to be so valuable for her to compete with something on the line this early in her career.
"It'll be very good for her development as a runner. Getting to travel internationally and be around other high-caliber runners and see how they race and prepare will be great for her knowledge base for the next four years."
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