Gits Named Junior Women's Team Captain

Alex Gits, a Stanford University freshman from Edina, was named captain of the United States' junior women's cross country team ahead of this weekend's IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland, USA Track and Field announced.

Gits, the 2006 MSHSL Class AA cross country champion and 2007 3200 meter champion, earned the right to represent the United States in Edinburgh by virtue of her runner-up finish at the USA Cross Country Championships in San Diego in February. Gits is joined on the junior squad by fellow Minnesota Emily Schwitzer of Duke University.

Team USA Minnesota's Katie McGregor and Emily Brown will compete on the senior women's team. Stillwater High School coach Scott Christensen is the team leader of the USA senior men's team at the event.

World Cross competition takes place Sunday. You will find results from the events posted HERE.

Update:

Gits was quoted by USATF after she and the USA sqauds inspected the World Cross course on Saturday ...

"It's going to be really cool to see athletes from other nations running Sunday. Overall, the terrain is going to be good, and it's supposed to be windy Sunday, but I think that having a lot of spectators on the course is going to help block the wind.

"Because of the narrowness of the hill and the bumpy terrain, the hill won't be a place to do a lot of passing, but it can be a point where you can make up ground.

From talking to other team members, I've heard that this race will be like the NCAA Championships; every runner will have to be in their own moment. In this race, you don't know who is going to be on or not. It's going to be a bit of a free-for-all."