2012 NCAA Cross Country Championships move to a Saturday...

The NCAA Track & Field Subcommitee announced that the new date formula passed by NCAA Championships Cabinet will go into effect beginning this year. For the first time since World War II, the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will be held on a Saturday. In addition, the formula places the regional championships preceding the national meet eight days earlier on a Friday.

The 2012 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships are now scheduled to be held Saturday, November 17 at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky. Nine regional championships will be held on Friday, November 9, including the West Regionals, which will be held at Seattle's Jefferson Park Golf Course, site of the 2010 Pac-10 championships and the 2011 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships.

The new date formula prescribes that the national meet be held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, matching what has been done in Division II and Division III for several years. By virtue of the calendar having the earliest possible Thanksgiving in 2012 (November 22), this year’s meet will be the earliest in DI history.

FEDERAL WAY HS COACH JEAN LICARI PASSES AWAY...

The local track and field community lost a friend on Sunday, as Federal Way HS coach Jean Licari passed away after her battle with cancer.

Licari taught math and also coached the Eagles cross country and track teams, with her athletes winning multiple state championships.

Licari died from a very rare form of cancer called LMS, or Leiomyosarcoma. It is a malignant cancer of smooth muscle. LMS can be very unpredictable and can remain dormant for long periods of time.

Licari is survived her husband, Pat, an assistant track and field coach on the University of Washington staff, and two daughters, Katelin and Madison. During his 15-year tenure at UW, Licari has developed some of the nation's premier pole vaulters, including world champion and 2008 Olympian Brad Walker, three NCAA champions in Walker, Kate Soma and Scott Roth, and 10 different All-Americans.

NOTE:  The USTFCCCA and the Federal Way Mirror contributed to this report.

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